A Long Life
by Blooddraken
Summary: A mysterious figure from the past has observed Ron and Shego for a long time. Who is he? What does he want with them? This is not a Rongo.
1. Prologue

AN. I was not satisfied with the way A Long Life was headed. So, now that I have gotten over whatever it was that was making me sick, I have decided to redo the story. This one will tell the same story as A Long Life, but in a different manner. For those who have read A Long Life, I thank you.

Now for the standard disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, Drakken, Shego, Ron Stoppable, or anyone else from the show.

* * *

"We will come back" the Lorwardian, Warhok says as he climbs out of the rubble of the ship that that insufferable human had sent them into, which crashed somewhere in western Colorado. It would take more than a mere ship crash to kill a member of the Lorwardian race. Although, considering the condition both he and his battlemate Warmonga were in, probably not much more. Holding his broken arm against his side, he supresses a wince as a sharp pain shoots along his side. Probably some broken ribs as well judging by his ragged breathing.

Warmonga isn't doing much better. A jagged cut along her forehead, leaking blood from where a piece of the ship and gouged her. She too has her injuries, limping along on a broken leg, blood staining her tattered unirform. "Yes" she rasps out, "We will bring our entire fleet here next time. No more toying with these pathetic humans."

Side by side, they survey the wreck of their ship, hatred burning in their gazes at what the pathetic humans had done to them. Neither of them fully understood what had happened. One moment, they were victorious. Talking over what to do with the insufferable Kim Possible, she who had led to Warmonga's defeat the first time. The next thing they knew, they were defeated by Kim Possible's mate. One they had both dismissed as worthless and inconsequential. Using a power neither had seen before, he had flung them into the falling star that was their ship.

Oh they would both pay, the Lorwardians swore, they would pay for this outrage. In all the centuries the Lorwardians had flown the starry expanse, no race had ever defeated them so soundly. It could not be allowed to continue. They would return. But not to play. No. This time, they wouldn't make planetfall. The next time, they will set their mightiest ships, the "planet-busters" as nicknamed by the numerous races subjugated by the Lorwardian Empire, into orbit and turn this speck of a mudball into nothing more than molten rock and slag. And there would be nothing Kim Possible or her mate could do to stop them.

As Warhok and Warmonga discuss their plans, neither see the black cowled figure sneaking up on them through the shadows created by the setting sun. As they begin looking for their communications device to see if it's intact, neither hear the slide of metal against leather.

The first sign they receive that they are not as alone as thought is a surprised gurgle from Warmonga as a katana blade slides through her back, the tip, slick with her blood, sticking out of her chest, the blade having sliced through her heart, killing her almost instantly.

Warhok barely has time to duck as another blade flashes towards him. Ducking under the blade, he bellows in rage at the crouched figure dressed all in black, a cloth mask covering his face, "You dare attact us in such a cowardly fashion?" Crouching himself, he growls, "Come get me coward. You will find that I am not so easy prey when my back is not turned".

The figure does not speak, merely sheathing his swords at his back in silent mockery.

"You should have kept your blades" Warhok sneers, then without another word, he rushes the figure.

The next few minutes are a brutal dance. Warhok attacks, the figure leaps or dodges the attack, all without striking back, and as if mocking Warhok, the figure stays on Warhok's good side, avoiding Warhok's broken arm.

"Fight back coward" Warhok bellows after what seems like his 15th strike lands on nothing but air. Warhok can almost feel the figure smirking as it shrugs, as if saying, "Ok" Then the figure leaps into the air and snaps a crescent kick to the side of Warhok's head, his head snapping to the side as Warhok flies through the air, lasnding in a heap about ten feet away. How did he do that? Warhok wonders as he slowly climbs to his feet, ears ringing from a blow that felt like he'd been hit by a heavy boulder. Our intelligence of these humans was wrong. They are far stronger than we were led to believe.

"Lucky shot" Warhok says, cracking his neck as he rolls his shoulders. Rushing the figure again, he wraps his powerful arms around the figure, intending to crush the figure in what the pathetic humans call a bearhug. Face scrunched in agony, Warhok pushes past the agony he's puting his broken arm through, like any good Lorwardian soldier, focusing on crushing the fool who dared kill his battlemate.

The figure grunts and struggles, twisting and turning for a few moments before he stills, Warhok laughing as he slowly crushes the masked figure, "Die you coward" he gloats, "Die--" his words are halted as the figure tilts his head to the side and snaps his leg forward, an acrobatic display as his foot connects with Warhok's nose, crushing it. Bellowing in pain, Warhok releases the figure. Dropping to the ground in a crouch, the figure snaps his leg out, one, two, three times in quick succession, the first kick shattering Warhok's knee, the second slamming into the side with the broken ribs, breaking them even more, sending bone fragments into Warhok's lungs, the third striking Warhok on the chin, knocking his head back, and snapping his neck by the force of the blow.

As Warhok crumples to the ground, his last thoughts are of his people, and in an uncharacteristic thought, hopes his people do not seek vengeance against these powerful humans.

Standing up fully, the figure looks down at the bodies of Warhok and Warmonga for only a moment before walking away. As Warhok's vision fades into death, he hears the figure say in a soft voice, "I'm sorry Kim and Ron. It's better this way"

* * *

AN: Who is that masked figure? What is his connection to Ron and Kim? Yeah Yeah, some of you already know. No spoiling it for the others. Please read and Review. I love you long time if you do.


	2. Chapter 1

I no own, Disney no sue.  
Thanks go to Ogehsim and Screaming Pheonix for their kind reviews.

* * *

"Come on Ron, we're going to be late" Kim shouts out from the living room of their shared apartment in Upperton. A year ago, the Lorwardians had invaded the Earth. It had seemed hopeless at first. The Lorwardians had kidnapped Kim Possible and Drakken, and were holding them prisoner in high earth orbit as the rest of the planet was subjugated. But, and here Kim smiles, Kim's boyfriend, one Ronald Dean Stoppable had stepped up, "monkey style" as one green and black wearing villianess had put it, and just when things had seemed their bleakest, he'd saved the day.

Since that day, the world had slowly but surely recovered. The hardest hit cities, New York, Washington DC, Paris, London, Beijing and Tokyo, were all still rebuilding, but the rest of the world was going on as usual, with a few minor differences. In agreement with 16 other nations, the United States was heading up a satellite defense system, this one aimed not at the Earth to destroy incoming missiles, but outwards, deep space radar and infrared trained on distant stars to keep watch for any more alien invasions. NASA's funding had been increased as well, as well as other space agencies in other countries, and major plans were underway to explore the solar system and surrounding space. Humanity would not be caught unprepared again.

Despite the hopes of many though, the invasion did not bring everyone together. Terrorists in the Mid-East and other places used the alien invasion as proof that their enemies were evil. For if they were not, would God have sent the Lorwardians to punish the infidels? They tended to overlook that the Lorwardians had attacked them as well, and also the fact that the Lorwardians had been defeated.

Back in Colorado, life had continued as well. The Possible residence had been rebuilt, most of the assistance coming from the Army Corps of Engineers, who had been sent by the President of the United States out of gratitude to the teen hero who called the place home all her life.

Said teen hero was now in the living room of the apartment she shared with her BFBF, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for Ron to finish whatever it was he was doing. They had gotten the apartment together when they had both been accepted at Upperton University. Kim had gone into International Relations, and Ron had been accepted into the Culinary Arts course. Kim had been accepted at numerous universities worldwide, but she had chosen Upperton to be closer to her boyfriend. She wasn't bitter about it though. Upperton U. had an excellent reputation in Diplomacy fields, and it was rumoured that the head of GJ had been an Alumni there as well.

Checking her watch, she sighs in exasperation, calling out again, "Hurry up Ron. I want to be there before it closes"

"I'm coming, I'm coming" her boyfriend calls out. Stepping from the hallway leading to their bedrooms, he stops when he gets a good look at her, "Wow KP, you're beautiful.  
Kim blushes and does a slow spin to show off her new dress, a dark blue silk number with a low back, the dress hugging her in all the right places, the dress accentuated by half inch black heels, and a bright ruby choker laying against her throat.

"You're not half bad yourself" she says with a small smile, looking over her boyfriend's tuxedo, matching the dark blue of her dress, set over a light blue shirt with a black tie with dark blue diagonal stripes. Seeing the shape of the tie, she smiles and shakes her head as she walks to him. "You should have had Rufus do this" she admonishes the love of her life as she straightens his tie.

"He got into some bad cheese earlier" Ron says, squirming in embarrassment, "He's in his bed" a shoebox on the dresser in Ron's room, "Sleeping it off"

"I hope the little guy will be alright" Kim says, concern etched in her face. When Ron had gotten Rufus almost 7 years ago, she had to admit, the little naked rodent had disgusted her. But in time, Rufus, far more intelligent and capable than any naked mole rat had a right to expect, had become an integral part of their missions. Nowadays, she isn't afraid to admit that there were times that she would have failed were it not for Rufus. But Rufus, no matter how intelligent and capable, could never hold a candle to her boyfriend. Giving her boyfriend a small kiss, she says, "Come on. The President is expecting us"

"Think Drakken and Shego will show up?" Ron asks as they head out the door

"I don't know" Kim says, "Shego seemed really uncomfortable at the last one. I think she's getting tired of all the publicity"

--

At a time-share lair in Southern Colorado

"SHEGO!" the blue skinned man bellows in glee, "I have it! The perfect plan to take over the world!"

"Took long enough," Shego mutters from her room, going through her closet to find the perfect outfit for tonight's gala. Ever since they had helped save the world a year ago, Drakken had kept his world domination schemes to himself. Shego didn't blame him for that though. Ever since he'd helped save the world, they'd been almost constantly under someone's watch. The public might think of them as heroes, but Global Justice has a long memory. And while others were willing to forgive and forget, the Diablo Incident was still fresh in Dr. Director's mind.

After sliding on a slim black and green dress, she goes to Drakken's lab. She starts to smirk, seeing Drakken gloating to himself, then scowls when she sees he's not wearing a tuxedo. Flaring up her hands, she stalks over to him. Grabbing him by the scruff of his lab coat, she lifts him up and snarls, "Mind telling me why you aren't dressed for the gala? The gala you convinced me to go with you to? The gala I didn't want to go to in the first place?"

"Shego!" Drakken says, gulping, "Is the gala tonight?" his old scar throbbing in nervousness, "It completely slipped my mind" As if to underscore his nervousnes, that moment is chosen for yellow flower petals to sprout from his neck. Shego scows and swipes at the petals, her plasma burning the petals off.

Drakken yelps and after Shego drops him, he rubs his neck, "Be careful Shego" he says, almost whining, "That came close"

"I'll show you close" Shego says, her hands flaring brighter, "Now go get changed"

Drakken scurries off to get changed, leaving Shego alone in the lab. As Drakken gets changed, Shego walks around the lab, looking over the various devices that Dr. Drakken had invented over the years. On a long medical looking table lay the disassembled parts of a Bebe, on another table lay a miniature version of the weather machine she and Drakken had stolen a few years back. Sitting on the same table was a couple models of doomsday devices Drakken had started on, but never quite finished for whatever reason. As she wanders the lab, looking over the various devices that they had used to try to take over the world, Shego let a small smile escape. They had never succeeded in taking over the world, but she had to admit, she had had a good time trying. Even fighting Princess had been fun. Well, except for that time Kim had kicked Shego into the signal tower that was controlling the Diablos. Shego scowls at that memory, just in time for Drakken to return.

Shego turns at the sound of hell scuffing on stone, and her jaw drops at Drakken's outfit. Wearing a solid white jacket over a baby blue shirt, pants a garish light blue with red stripes down the legs, and an even ugliuer tie, Drakken shifts uncomfortably under Shego's stare, "Umm Shego?" he asks hesitantly

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Shego merely points out of the lab and says, "Go. Change into something a litle less ghastly."

"I'll have you know my mother bought me this outfit" Drakken huffs.

"I can tell" Shego smirks, "Are you sure she loves you?" she asks

"What have I said about words that hurt?' Drakken asks, pouting, then ducks when a green fireball passes close enough to his head that he can feel the heat. Figuring that discretion is the better part of valor, Drakken beats a hasty retreat, going to his room to change. A short time later, he comes back, wearing an all white tuxedo. Shedo winces upon seing it, then sighs, "Well, I suppose it's better than the last one. Come on Dr. D. Let's go before we're late"

--

At an unknown location

"Yes sir" the figure sitting in shadow says, cellphone held to his ear. Nodding every so often, he listens to whoever's onm the other end as people around him work, loading boxes and carts onto moving trucks, "Yes sir"

"Sir, Kim Possible has been confirmed to be attending tonight's gala" he says after a moment, "As has Shego. Not to mention, security is going to be extremely tight, with both Secret Service and Global Justice providing security. Are you sure..." He pauses and listens, then says in a softer voice, "Of course not sir. My men are highly trained. While Shego and Kim Possible will present a challenge, I think we can neutralize them both rather quickly. As for Global Justice? Don't make me laugh. There are dozens upon dozens of these so called supervillians out there and those idiots at GJ depend on a teenager to stop them. As for the Secret Service, they'll be more concerned with protecting the President and the other world leaders instead of our true objective."

He gives a small laugh at whatever the person on the other end says, "They won't know what hit them sir"

* * *

AN: Oh Oh Oh. What's this? What dastardly plot is beginning to unfold? Will our heros save the day? I hope so, otherwise this is going to be one short story.


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Does anyone hear me singing "Money Money Money" ? No? Well then, I guess I still don't own Kim Possible or any of the characters from the show.

Thanks go to Screaming Pheonix and Donteatacowman for their reviews. Your reviews are my bread and butter people. Well, ok. Not really. But I do appreciate them none-the-less.

* * *

"WoW Kp" Ron says as he enters the Middleton Community Center, Kim Possible, the most badical woman in Ron's not so humble opinion, on his arm, "I think there's more people here than there were at the last one" The main arena is packed, dignitaries and world leaders, along with other world class VIP's, mingling with each other, waiters and busboys moving between them, passing around food and drinks.

Kim Possible looks around, and says in agreement, "Does look like it. Of course, it stands to reason that there'd be more serving people. Most if not all of them are probably Secret Service and Global Justice agents acting as security" She nods at one waiter, keen eyes picking up an unmistakable bulge at the waiter's hip. While she did not like guns, and therefore did not use them herself, she had trained against and with them in her martial arts training, so she knew what to look for.

Ron nods distractedly, his eyes on what he considers the second most important item in the room, next to his girlfriend of course, "Hey KP they have a huge buffet" he practically yells, all eyes in the vicinity immediately turning to them. Kim blushes at the sudden attention, but Ron is oblivious, letting Kim go as he heads for the buffet table set at one end, "Aww too bad Rufus isn't here" Ron says, grabbing a plate and piling on the food. The buffet seems to be set up by regional cuisine, each country's cuisine getting their own table or two.

"You could always save him some food" a cultured female voice says, with a slight Japanese accent. "Ahh!" Ron says, throwing his arms up, his food going everywhere, including onto the young woman who'd spoken, and her companion, a middle aged, balding man. The man picks the noodles off of himself as his companion also cleans herself up, neither showing any sign of irritation at the young man. Ron, meanwhile, smiles sheepishly and says, "Oh hey. Hi there Nakasumi and Miss Kyoko. Sorry about that."

Nakasumi whispers in Miss Kyoko's ear, and she smiles softly, "Nakasumi says that it is quite alright."

"Ah that's good then" Ron says, turning back to the buffet as Nakasumi and Miss Kyoko head off to mingle.

"I thought Nakasumi could speak English?' Kim asks, grabbing a plate as well. Ron shrugs, "As he said the last time we met, he likes whispering to Miss Kyoko"  
Kim nods as she uses some tongs to make a salad. As she puts the lettuce on her plate, a commotion at the entrance has her looking in that direction.

"Let me in" Drakken demands of the security detail that was running detectors over both him and Shego, "Shego and I were invited" Shego isn't saying anything, but the tic of her left eye is unmistakable. She's getting frustrated as well. Kim heads over to the two former supervillians to prevent any blow up. Shego immediately spots Kim, and instantly shifts into a relaxed combat stance, a smirk on her face, "Come to save the day Princess?" she asks as Kim also assumes a relaxed stance, ready for anything.

"KIM POSSIBLE!" Drakken shouts, then gets a sheepish look on his face when everyone looks at him, Shego pinching the bridge of her nose "Ahem. S-sorry. Old habit"

Shego shakes her head, groaning as she grabs Drakken's arm and drags him off. Crisis averted, Kim starts heading back to her boyfriend when someone bumps into her. Only years of training has her catching herself before she stumbles more than a couple steps. "Oh, I am so sorry Miss Possible" the man, Turkish by the looks of him, says, as he apologizes profusely, "I wasn't watching where I was going" Kim smiles at the man reassuringly, saying as she straightens her outfit, "It's ok. Really. Accidents happen"

After the man walks away, Kim rejoins her boyfriend, who just stuffed an entire burrito into his mouth. Kim shakes her head at him, smiling as she says, "I'll never know how you can do that". Ron shrugs and says around the food in his mouth, "Practice" to which Kim giggles as she takes his arm. They mingle with the dignitaries for the next half an hour until the President of the United States takes the stage.

Straightening his tie, he clears his throat, then speaks into the microphone, "Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for attending tonight's gala, celebrating the one year anniversary of the defeat of the Lorwardians. We are honored that the 4 who did the most to save us are here. Please join me in showing our appreciation to Kim Possible, Ron Droppable" an "oh man" from Ron, "It's Stoppable" "Ahem," the president says, " Sorry. Ron Stoppable I mean, as well as Sheila Go, and Doctor Drakken"

"Sheila Go?" Ron asks amidst the applause, "I don't remember anyone named Sheila Go helping us."

Kim rolls her eyes, "Sheila Go is Shego's real name" she says with a patient smile, pointing at Shego, who's rubbing her temples in irritation.

"Really?" Ron asks, "I thought Shego was her real name?"

Kim kisses her boyfriend before he could continue.

Clearing his throat, the president continues, "I'd also like to take the time to thank Thomas Goodwin, who has graciously allowed us to meet here, and to tour his artifacts before they are loaned to the Middleton Museum of Natural History" he pauses to let the audience members politely applaud, the spotlight shining on the man that had bumped into Kim earlier, who's waving his hand to acknowledge the applause.

"I thought this was the Community Center?" Ron asks Kim softly, "As in, the community owns the place? How could he allow us to meet here?"

Kim explains, "The basement of the community center is a large walk in vault. The museum uses it to store pieces that aren't on display yet and can't fit into their own vault."

"In an hour" the President says, "The vault will be opened, and people will be allowed to tour the artifacts in small groups. In the meantime, thank you for attending, and please, enjoy yourselves" As the audience applauds, the President gets off stage, Thomas Goodwin joining him, the two men talking quietly.

As Kim and Ron mingle, Shego hangs back, watching Drakken brag about his exploits to the delegate from Rodighan. Hearing him bragging about the Hesphaestus Project he used to control the Diablos, she shakes her head. Sure, just remind everyone of the time we almost succeeded, she mentally curses him out as the Rodighan delegate smiles politely, hiding the glimmer of nervousness in his eyes.

She's interrupted in her annoyance by a gentle tap on her shoulder. Turning, she stares down at the small blond haired and plain looking middle aged woman before her. "Mr. Goodwin has requested that you and your associate" nodding at Dr. Drakken, "join the first group to tour his artifacts." Shego stares at the woman for a moment, then shrugs, "Might be interesting" she says, then calls out to Drakken, "Yo Dr. D, We've been asked to join the first tour group. Come on."

They follow the woman as she leads them to Thomas Goodwin. After whispering in the man's ear, she heads off, only to return with Kim and Ron, earning a groan from Shego. "Now now Miss Goodwin" Thomas says, a small smile playing his lips, "Surely you and Miss Possible can get along for half an hour? I know you two have done it before. And no Mr. Stoppable," he says, forestalling Ron's comment, "I wasn't referring to when Miss Go was affected by the Attudinator, nor when Doctor Drakken had chipped them both"

"Wait," Shego says, "You know about those?"

"I do my homework" Thomas says as the president joins them, along with the British Prime Minister and the Emperor of Japan, who bows to Thomas, and makes an even deeper bow to Ron, both of whom bow in return. "Is everyone ready?" Thomas asks after the introductions and greetings are out of the way. At everyone's nod, he turns to the woman who had talked to Shego, "Elizabeth, be a dear and make sure Britina and the Oh Boyz are being taken care of as they requested" "Of course Thomas" Elizabeth says with a slight bow before leaving to do as Thomas asked.

Thomas watches her go off, smiling, "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for that young woman," he says.

"Young?" Drakken asks, watching, "She looks to be older than you" "Plenty of moisturizers" Thomas says, "They do wonders for the skin"

"Maybe you should look into that Pumpkin" Shego says, elbowing Kim, which earns her a glare as they follow Thomas to a recessed elevator. The elevator ride down is done in silence, Kim glaring at the back of Shego's head, Shego smirking the whole time down.

When the doors slide open, Thomas leads them out, saying, "I inherited most of this, the rest, I acquired about ten years ago. I kept them in a private vault on my estate until the Smithsonian contacted me, expressing interest in displaying the work. This is the first leg of a world tour before the artifacts make their final home at the Smithsonian in about 10 years."

"What exactly, are the artifacts?" Kim asks as they stop before a solid steel bank vault door. Stepping to the side of the door, Thomas uses a key to open a panel, then enters a code as he says, "Mainly artifacts dating from the Hittite period.The Hittites were a large group of people who resided in Anatolia, which is most of modern day Turkey. They entered the region at around the 18th Century BC, with the height of their empire around the 14th century BC, then broke apart around the beginning of the 12th century." He steps back as the vault door slowly swings open.

The door open, he leads the group in, smirking at their awed expressions. The size of a large living room, the vault has bulletproof cases lined up and down each wall, and set in three rows down the center, allowing just enough space for two people to walk side by side between the displays. Under each display are bowls, necklaces, rings, and bronze statuettes, which he says, "Are called Huwasi stones. The Hittites believed the figurines to be sacred to whatever god they represented. They were a central part to any ritual. They were given food and water, anointed and washed." The main display though, the one dominating the entire back wall, is a massive pedestal with a woman's bust on it. Around the bronze bust's neck is a necklace made of an intricate twining of silver and gold wires, the necklace set with stones of every color of the rainbow, the main stone, a ruby set in a fancy ring made of crisscrossing spokes made of solid gold. "The medallion of Alalus. Alalus was a primordial god, preceding even Anu, the king of the Hittite and Assyrian gods. The ring was supposedly the key to a massive treasure hidden by Alalus."

"A treasure huh?" Shego asks, "Ever find that treasure?"

"No" Thomas says, "Only one reference to the treasure was found. A tablet found with the necklace. The tablet was broken though, so if there was a location mentioned, it's been lost."

"So how much is all this worth?" Shego asks, Kim spinning to glare at her. Thomas chuckles and says, "It has no street value if that's what you're wondering. Each piece is too distinctive to be fenced" To which Kim asks, "And how would you know if they can be fenced or not?"

Thomas shrugs, "I do my homework" to which Shego says, "Your teachers must have loved you"

Thomas says, "I was home-schooled. So yes, my teachers loved me. Nature told them to."

"There's something odd about Mr. Goodwin," Ron says as they head back upstairs.

"What do you mean?" Kim asks, looking at Ron in confusion.

"I don't know" Ron says, scratching his head, "It's hard to explain. It's like" he looks around. Picking up a wine glass half full and a fork, he shows them both to her, saying, "Ever since I fully gained control of my monkey powers, I've learned I have a few extra abilities" Taking the wine glass, he says, "To me, the world around me is like a giant lake. Each person's presence creates ripples in that lake. Ripples I feel" he dips the fork in the wine, creating ripples, "You, Shego, Dr. D, everyone. I can tell you without looking, there are 149 people in this room. But my monkey senses tell me there are only 148 people in this room. They cannot detect Mr. Goodwin in this room. And when we were in the elevator, the 'ripples' coming from him were muted somehow. I could barely sense him at all," He gives a groan of exasperation, "I wish I could explain it better KP".

"It's ok Ron" Kim says, hugging Ron, "You're still new to these new abilities. Give it time. I'm sure you'll figure it out" Ron smiles and says, "Thanks KP"

"No problem" Kim says, "Now, let's go mi-" A gun shot into the ceiling silences her, and everyone else in the room.

"Nobody move!" a waiter says, holding a Bushmaster ACR into the air, "Everybody stay calm and you won't be harmed"

* * *

AN: Hell of a cliffhanger huh? As always, read and review.


	4. Chapter 3

AN: I own Elizabeth and Thomas. I own nothing else. Although I'd like to own the president. Who wouldn't?

Thanks to Screaming Pheonix and Cajunbear for their reviews.

* * *

"Nobody move!" a waiter says, holding a Bushmaster ACR into the air, "Everybody stay calm and you won't be harmed"

"You guys took the short bus to school didn't you?" Thomas asks as other waitstaff and busboys drop whatever they're doing, pulling out various types of guns from under their jackets or from underneath the carts that held the food and empty dishes.

"Shut up!" one of the gunmen says, slamming the butt of his gun into Thomas' face, sending the man sprawling as a woman screams.

"Shut up" the lead gunman says, then grabs a reporter, pulling him close, a few of the other gunmen grabbing hostages as well, most on the far side of the room away from Kim and Shego, as Thomas slowly rises, rubbing his jaw. In the confusion, only Shego and Kim notice the massive bruising on Thomas' face quickly fading away as he works his jaw side to side. He looks at the two women, giving a sly wink as he lowers his hand, the bruise gone as if he had never been struck. As Kim and Shego stare at Thomas, other waitstaff pull their guns, Secret Service in disguise as they move to protect the President and other dignitaries. When one of them takes aim at a hostage taker, Thomas looks at said agent and says, "Mr. President, if a single hostage dies because your men feel like being heros, I will kill them" earning a gasp from everyone, including the hostage takers. An even greater shock is felt when the President orders the Secret Service and Global Justice agents to stand down.

Once the Secret Service and Global Justice have stood down, Thomas steps forward and addresses the terrorists, "Now that that's out of the way, what do you want?" Straightening the sleves of his suit jacket, he seems calm and unafraid, as if he was about to sit down for a meal, rather than facing death from the dozens of guns pointed at him.

"You, Mr. Goodwin" the leader of the terrorists says, "We want you. Or rather, your code to the vault downstairs"

Thomas scratches his head, "Umm, the vault is open gentlemen. You really don't need me for that."

"The vault is open" the gunman says, "But the display cases each have their own code. Codes only you know" Waving his gun towards the elevator, he says, "Come on Mr. Goodwin"

"Looks like I'm not the only one who does my homework" Thomas says, heading to the elevator, followed by 5 of the gunmen, and their leader.

Before getting onto the elevator, the leader looks at Kim, Ron and Shego, saying, "If those three do anything stupid like try to be heroes, kill your hostages"

"And what makes you think I care about the hostages?" Shego asks, her hands flaring with green plasma.

"Because my dear Sheila" the leader says, as the doors slide shut on his smiling face "A thief and mercenary you may be, but you have never crossed the line to murder"

"Damn it" Shego mutters, extinguishing the flames surrounding her hands.

Kim and Ron make their way to Shego slowly, keeping their hands open and at their sides to show they're not trying anything. Reaching Shego, Kim whispers, "What do we do?"

Shego looks at Kim, and smirks, "The big bad hero can't think of a plan?"

"Not now Shego" Kim growls, rolling her eyes in anoyance as she pulls out her Kimmunicator, keeping Ron betwen her and the nearest gunman. "Hey Wade" she whispers as the 12 year old genius appears on the screen. "Kim? he asks, rubbing his eyes, "How's the party?". Darting her eyes around, Kim covers the speaker to muffle the volume, "Shhh Wade. There are gunmen here. They're holding us all hostage. I think they came to steal Mr. Goodwin's artifacts" She then gets a queer look in her eyes, "Wade, there's something strange about Mr. Goodwin. He knew more about us then the general public would, he practically gave the President an order. An order that the president obeyed. And I can't be sure, but I think I saw him heal really quickly after one of the gunmen hit him in the face with the but of a gun." Shego nods and whispers, "I saw it too Nerdlinger. He did heal pretty fast." Kim gives shego a small smile of thanks, then looks at Wade, "Call the police Wade, and when you can, find out what you can about a Thomas Goodwin"

Wade nods, his fingers flying over the keyboards of his various computers, "Ok Kim, the police are notified. I've also hacked into the security camera feeds." He does some more typing, then frowns, "This is odd"

"What is it Wade?" Kim asks.

"I can't find anything on Thomas Goodwin more than 5 years old. I found a birth certificate and a national ID, he's from Turkey by the way" He does some more typing, "A driver's license, which expires in two years, but nothing else from before 5 years ago. Around that time, he suddenly showed up on the antiquities scene, buying artifacts from the Middle East left and right. Says here that in a short time, he acquired the largest collection of Hittite and Assyrian artifacts outside of any museum. And larger than most museum collections as well. But before then, it's like he only existed on paper. I can't even tell you where he got his money from" He looks sheepish, "Sorry Kim. I'll run some facial recognition programs. See if any photos turn up. He's the man in the tuxedo in the basement right?"

"Yeah Wade" Kim says, smiling, "And thanks. You rock"

"First Ron says he can't detect Mr. Goodwin with his MMP, then you and I see him rapidly heal from a blow that should have broken his jaw, and then he practically gave the President an order that was obeyed," Kim says, looking at Shego as she pockets her Kimmunicator, "And now Wade can't find anything on this guy. I think, after this, we should have a chat with him"

Shego smirks and says, lighting her finger with plasma for emphasis, "Think he'll heal from burns?"

Kim scowls and bats at Shego's hand, "Knock it off Shego. We don't know if he's done anything wrong. I'm just curious."

Shego sticks her tongue out at Kim, then douses her flame, "Very well" Looking at Ron, "Hey sidekick, you can do some amazing things with your MMP. Would superspeed be amongst those things?"

"Yeah why?" Ron asks, looking at Shego in confusion.

Shego scowls and says, "Do you think you can move fast enough to save the hostages?"

Ron looks around, a glint in his eye as he thinks it over. Then, giving a sigh, he says dejectedly, "Sorry. I could probably get to one of them, maybe even two, but all of them? No."

Kim rubs Ron's shoulder reassuringly, saying, "It's ok Ron. We'll think of something else"

After another 10 minutes of waiting, Kimmunicator starts vibrating, Kim having set it to vibrate after talking with Wade the last time, so as not to alert anyone should Wade call back.

"What's the sitch Wade?" she asks, keeping her voice low, Ron and Shego moving to block Kim from the view of the gunmen.

"A couple things Kim" Wade says, before taking a drink from his ever-present soda, "First off, the hostage situation is on the news" a minscreen opens on the main screen, showing a reporter in front of the Community Center, "The police report that the place is under complete lockdown. They can't get in, and no-one's made any demands yet."

"Ok Wade" Kim says, "Thanks for the..." "I also found something interesting on that Thomas Goodwin guy" Wade interrupts her with.

"What Wade?" Kim asks, curious.

"I was running a facial recognition program on him and a few things turned up." Wade says, "Now, what I found isn't conclusive of anything but--"

"What did you find Nerdlinger?" Shego hisses.

"Um ahh yes" Wade says, gulping. Tapping his keys, he continues speaking as his image is replaced by a series of photos, some color, most black and white, and even some sepia, and all with someone that looks just like Thomas Goodwin "Each of them are identified as other people, but they all look exactly like our Mr. Goodwin. My facial recognition programs gives at least a 95 chance that they are the same person" Wade says, "What's really interesting is that the photos go back to the beginnings of photography. Newspapers, video clips, portraits. I was going to look for painted portraits, but I can't" Wade finishes.

"Why not?" Ron asks

Wade says, "Doctor Director herself just called me a few minutes ago and told me to cease all searches for anything concerning Thomas Goodwin. She told me I should be focusing on getting you out instead, but the way she said it," He shrugs, "I don't know, Kim. Seems to me that whoever Mr. Goodwin is, some very powerful people want it to stay hidden." He takes another sip from his soda, "I can keep looking," he says, looking at Kim hopefully. Here was something Wade relished. A challenge worthy of his skills.

"Thanks Wade, but not right now" Kim says, smiling at him, "No need to get GJ mad at you"

"Ok Kim" Wade says, disappointed. Then his eyes light up and he says, "I wonder how they knew I was looking around?" With that, he starts typing furiously as the screen turns off, the connection broken.

Kim pockets the kimmunicator as Ron says, "Curiouser and Curiouserer. Is that right? Curiouser and Curiouser?"

"The second one sidekick" Shego says, thumping him in the back of his head, earning a backhanded slap from Kim to her arm.

"Where's Drakken?" Ron suddenly wonders, looking around. It takes a few moments, but soon the good Doctor is found, hiding behind the rather large ambassador from Morocco.

Shego shakes her head at her employer's antics, then looks at Kim when she gets poked in the side, "What is it pumpkin?"

"We need to rescue Mr. Goodwin" Kim says

"Why?" Shego asks, "Considering how fast he healed from that hit to the jaw, I'm sure he can take care of himself"

"Probably, but these people don't seem hesitant" Kim says, nodding at the gunmen and how they're all acting, "They're professionals by the looks of it. And also, he still took time to heal. They could shoot him in the head. I don't think anyone can heal from that."

Shego nods, acceding the point, then says, "How are we going to get to him though? The elevator sems to be the only way down. I don't think our friends here will take it kindly if we just strolled to the elevator."

Kim looks around, "There's a set of stairs leading to the basement. It's used in case there's an emergency that prevents the elevator from being used. But we still need a distraction."

"One distraction coming right up" Ron says with a goofy grin, "Just like old times huh KP?" With that, he steps forward, then "trips" into the Lithuanian Ambassador, both of them falling to the ground. Ron being Ron, doesn't limit it to just the Lithuanian ambassador. Somehow, he gets his legs tangled up with a reporter and she gets added to the mix. In the confusion that follows, Kim and Shego slowly make their way to the back of the hall. Making their way down the stairs unseen, they reach the firedoor leading to the vault.

Poking her head through the door, Shego takes a look around, then pushes the door open and just strides through. Kim follows, staring aghast at Shego, "Shego!. What happened to stealthy?"

Shego waves her arm to indicate the empty room, the vault door closed, "What for? They're gone"

"Gone?" Kim asks, heading to the vault, "Where did they go?"

"They probably got what they came for" Shego says, indicating the closed vault, "Think Mr. Goodwin is in there still?" she asks. Kim's eyes widen and she pulls out the Kimmunicator, "Wade? I need you to se if there's anyone in the vault" she says.

Wade types for a moment then shakes his head, "Sorry. The security feed in there is on a closed system. I can't see in there." He does some typing, then says, "Hold the Kimminucator against the door. Maybe I can amplify the sound. See if I can hear him"

After Kim does as Wade asks, Wade says, "I don't know who it is, but there is someone in there. I can hear a steady pounding. You'll want to hurry up Kim" Wade says, "The doors are airtight. The air won't last more than another hour tops."

"Plenty of time for you to hack the system right Nerdlinger?' Shego asks, looking over Kim's shoulder at the Kimmunicator.

Wade shakes his head and mutters, "I don't think I'm going to get used to that" before the top of the Kimmunicator pops open, a wire sliding out. Kim takes the wire and removes the panel from the vault, connecting the wire as Wade tells her to. After a few minutes of Wade typing rapidly, the vault door slowly opens and Thomas comes out, tuxedo dishevelled, hair plastered to a sweaty forehead, "Thanks guys" he says, leaning against the wall and panting, "I think I need to install air-conditioning in there"

"Along with a safety over-ride in case you get locked in there" Wade says.

Thomas smiles and says, "Good idea Mr. Load. I'll get that done later."

"Wait" Wade says, "How do you know my name?"

" As I've said, I do my homework" Thomas says, just as a woman's scream is heard from above.

All three of them run up the stairs, Kim almost yelling, "Wade, what's going on?"

Wade looks paniced as he types as fast as he can, "I-I don't know Kim. I just lost my connection."

Reaching the main area, Kim pushes her way through the crowd, only to find... nothing. The gunmen are gone. At first glance, it seems nothing is out of the ordinary until Shego asks, "Where's the sidekick?"

"They took the buffoon" Drakken says, moving towards Shego, "One of them took some kind of airhose, and sprayed something in his face, then carried him out."

"Oh shit" Thomas mutters. Shego and Kim heard him and they both spin on him, Kim glaring, "What do you know?" she demands, fire practically leaping from her eyes in her fury as she grabs Thomas by the lapel of his jacket and getting in his face, "There's alot of weirdness surrounding you, and now Ron's missing. You said 'Oh shit' as if you knew something so you better tell me!"

"Simply put my dear Kimberly Anne Possible" Thomas says, showing no sign of fear, as he gently extricates himself from Kim's grasp "If I'm right, then we're all in deep trouble. The world is about to enter an age of darkness we may never recover from"

* * *

AN: Dun Dun Dun... Some questions answered, which just brings up a lot more questions. And now, Ron's missing. What will our heros do? Stay tuned. And please review.


	5. Chapter 4

I don't own anyone in this story except for Thomas and Elizabeth

Thanks Screaming Phoenix, Donteatacowman and Cajunbear once more for their reviews. And thank you Donteatacowman for your suggestion.

Somewhere in this chapter is a cultural reference from the 90's. See if you can find it. The first to post the correct answer gets a honorable mention. And if I have their permission, perhaps even a brief cameo in a future chapter. And before you ask, yes, it will involve your death.

* * *

"If I'm right, then we're all in deep trouble. The world is about to enter an age of darkness we may never recover from"

For the longest moment, everyone is dead silent after Thomas' revelation. Then, as if a dam had broken, the reporters that had been invited to witness the event start clamoring for attention, shouting questions at Thomas. Thomas ignores them though, looking around the room as if searching. Spotting what he's searching for, he strides across the room, followed by Kim and Shego, sweeping a laughing and crying Elizabeth into his arms and kissing her on the forehead as the Secret Service clears the room of reporters, the dignitaries all going their own ways now that the crisis is over.

"Oh papa" she says softly, sobbing and laughing at the same time "I was so worried. They took you downstairs, I thought they were going to kill you"

"Shhh acushla" Thomas murmurs, smiling as he strokes Elizabeth's hair soothingly "I'm fine. It takes more than a knock to the head to kill me."

Kim and Shego look at each other in shock, Kim mouthing, "Papa?" Shego shrugs at Kim, then looks at Thomas and says, "Hey, Drakken is right. She is older than you. Why did she call you papa?"

Thomas and Elizabeth look at each other, then start chuckling, Elizabeth's giggle light and airy, Thomas' deep and infectious, causing Kim to smile without meaning to.  
Looking at the two women, Thomas says, "It's because I am her father"

"Impossible" Drakken says, but is silenced by Shego, who looks at Kim thoughtfully.

"So those photos Wade found" Kim says

"Are indeed of me" Thomas says, shrugging, "To all intents and purposes, I'm immortal. I don't age and it's damn hard to kill me." He then looks at Elizabeth, saying, "Call Betty. Tell her that she missed some pictures"

"She already knows" Kim says, "She called Wade and told him to stop looking up information on you"

Thomas chuckles "Nice to know she's still on the ball."

"Yeah yeah" Shego says, then grabs Thomas suddenly, "Listen pal, you've got thirty seconds to explain youself!"

Thomas merely smirks as he says, "Now Sheila, is that any way to treat your ancestor?"

"Wha?" Shego asks, releasing him and staring at Thomas in confusion, Elizabeth giggling as she says, "Hi niece" Then she looks at Thomas, "Sheila is my niece right?" Thomas doesn't answer at first, grumbling as he straightens his jacket, "What is it with people grabbing my jacket today? It's going to take me forever to get these wrinkles out"

"Papa" Elizabeth says, poking Thomas. Looking at her, he says, "Huh? Oh yeah. I guess so" then looks at Shego. Smirking he says, "Not everyday you get to meet the patriarch of the family huh?"

Shego takes a moment to collect herself, then says, "You are the family patriarch? Impossible. We look nothing alike" pointing first to herself, with her fine bone structure, then at Thomas, short and stocky.

"That's because there's a hundred generations separating us Sheila" Thomas says, rolling his eyes, "Genetically speaking, we're not even related, except for that tiny part which gives you and your brothers your powers"

"A rainbow colored comet gave us our powers" Shego says, scowling. This man was feeding her some line of bs and she was getting sick of it.

"The comet didn't give you powers. All it did was activate the potential you already had by being my descendant" Thomas says, "Didn't you ever wonder why you didn't get incinerated or die of severe radiation poisoning?"

"I'm sure this is all very fascinating" Kim says, "But can we get to finding and saving Ron? And why you said we're going to enter an age of darkness we may never get out of?"

"Of course" Thomas says. Turning to Elizabeth, he says, "Get the car acushla" Giving Thomas a peck on the chek, Elizabeth says, "Ok Papa" then heads off.

Looking back at Kim, Thomas says, "Come with us. Both of you" indicating Kim and Shego.

"What about me?" Drakken asks, almost whining.

Thomas smiles as he shakes his head, saying, "Fine. You too Dr. Drakken. Besides, we may need your assistance in this matter anyways"

Stepping outside, Thomas leads the three to a black stretch limousine, Elizabeth opening the door for them. Thomas lets the others get in first, smiling at Elizabeth who comes in after them. Once everyone is situated, Elizabeth and Thomas sitting side by side, with Kim, Shego and Drakken on the other, Thomas taps the partition behind him, and the driver pulls the limo out of the parking lot. Elizabeth goes into the minibar and pulls out drinks. Kim and Shego take a soda, Drakken declines, and Thomas takes a can of beer, while Elizabeth pours herself a glass of champagne.

"So you're immortal?" Drakken asks, getting a gleam in his eye as he thinks on the possibilities of an immortal army at his beck and call.

"Pretty much" Thomas says, "But before you go too far along that tangent, while I do not age, and heal very fast, if my head comes away from my neck, it's over. While I'm not willing to test the theory, I believe that any wound that would kill someone in moments, or even instantly, would kill me as well. Nor do I believe I possess any regenerative abilities. My healing seems to be merely accelerated, not advanced. I've never lost a limb so I can't know for sure though. As with the beheading test though, it's not a test I'm willing to take. I rather like my body parts where they are currently located."

Kim looks impatient, and as she opens her mouth, Thomas addresses her, "I'm sorry Kimberly. I do not intend to make light of your situation. However, the information I have given is important to the situation at hand. I am putting things in context, and explaining these things so you know how I know what I am about to share with you. For you see my dear, I was there when the amulet was made, about 3000 years ago. The necklace is older, but the necklace isn't important. It's the amulet that is what puts the world, and your Ron, in so much danger. For you see, the amulet is not merely a key to an untol treasure. It's also one part of a very powerful weapon. And your Ron is another part of the weapon."

"What?" Kim shouts, "Ron is part of some weapon that was made 3000 years ago? He's barely 18!"

"The weapon needs a human with mystical abilities to power it," Thomas says, "And at this time, believe it or not, Ron is the most powerful mystic on the planet."

"He would never agree to power the weapon" Kim says

"The weapon doesn't ned him to be willing. It just needs him to power it" Thomas says

"So how powerful is this weapon?" Drakken asks

Thomas says, sipping at his beer, "Does Hiroshima and Nagasaki ring a bell?"

Two thuds are heard, Kim and Shego both dropping their drinks in shock. Kim opens her mouth, trying to say something, but no words can come out. Shego is in a similar state, but she, having had destructive abilities since a child, adjusted first, "You're saying that the weapon is a nuclear bomb?"

"No no" Thomas says, shaking his head, "A nuclear bomb has radiation. This weapon doesn't. There's also the fact a nuclear bomb can only be used once. This weapon will do the same amount of damage as both Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a single strike, and a short time later, can be used again and again. Over and over. In a matter of hours, if the user was truly demented, a person could wipe out all life on the planet. All from a single weapon"

"Ron would never allow that" Kim says in shock.

"Ron won't have a choice" Thomas says, "The weapon is designed to be powered by Ron's abilities, but used by another's will."

Taking another sip of his beer, Thomas says, "I suppose I should also mention that the first use of the weapon will drive Ron insane."

In an abandoned warehouse

"Wha...?" Ron says groggily, waking up slowly, "Where am I?" Opening his eyes, he looks out into pitch darkness. Stretching his senses, he tries to figure out where he is. Only silence meets his ears, the smell of grease and metal hitting his nose, and cold metal is felt at his back. Shaking his head, he tries to sit up, only to find himself bound by metal chains shackled to his wrists and ankles, a chain wrapped around his waist, holding him to the metal surface he's laying on.

Ron groans in agony, closing his eyes tightly as bright lights flood his vision.

"Good evening Mr. Stoppable" a deep gravelly voice says to Ron's right, "I'm pleased that you could join us in this momentous time"

"Who are you?" Ron demands, struggling against the chains, "Why am I here?"

"Because my dear Ron, you are the key to my desires" the man says, stepping into Ron's field of vision, and pointing off to the side. Ron looks to where the man points, and sees a mannequin set on a pedastal. The mannequin is naked of clothing, instead adorned with a crown, thick belt reminiscent of the GWA championship belt, the necklace and pendant that he saw in Thomas' vault, and a matching set of anklets and bracelets, all made of filligreed gold and silver, set with several stones of varying shades of red and blue. Set in the crook of the mannequin's left arm is a staff made of a dark stained wood, with gold and silver wires twisting and turning down it's length, a massive ruby, the size of Ron's two fists put together, adorning the head of the staff

"I'm not sure" Ron says, "But I don't think jewelry's your thing"

The man, a tall broad shouldered man wearing a black business suit, laughs and says, "Those are not for me. They are for you. They will absorb and magnify your mystic energy, allowing me to ascend as the Master of this world."

Ron stares in shock at the man, then begins struggling anew. When that doesn't work, except to tighten the chains, Ron relaxes. Taking deep breaths, he centers himself as Master Seinsei taught him, and reaches for his power to unleash it and snap the chains. Only to find nothing, except for the mocking laughter of the man who had captured him.

"Those chains are treated with a mixture of various herbs and powders. They block your connection to your mystical energy" the man says. Turning to leave, he says, "Don't worry though. The chains will be removed eventually. When it's time for you to bring the world to it's knees"

"I'll never help you!" Ron yells, struggling even harder, "I'd rather die than help you"

"You won't have a choice in either of those, my dear Ronald" the man says, laughing as he leaves the area, leaving Ron in darkness once more.

* * *

AN: It seems our dear Ronald is in a bit of a pickle. Will he survive? Will Kim recognize him if he does? Will anyone find the reference mentioned above? Stay tuned to find out. And as always, please read and review.


	6. Chapter 5

AN: I no own, so please, Disney no sue.

So far, no guesses from my three most prolific reviewers. Don't worry. I will put another hint to the same thing in this chapter. I thank them for their reviews none-the-less. An outside hint, both the reference in this chapter, and in the last, were both modified slightly to fit the context of this story.

* * *

"Immortality must be great" Drakken says as they approach the warehouse district.

Thomas rolls his eyes and looks at Shego as if asking, "And you work for this guy?" Shego shrugs as Thomas says to Drakken, "I can't say whether it's great or not. I have no experience of mortality to compare it to. The longer life I have enjoyed has had it's benefits as well as it's drawbacks"

"But immortality" Drakken says, almost sounding like he's in awe, "Wow"

Thomas shrugs, "Eh. Immortality's relative. I could live for untold millenia. Perhaps even to the end of time. But I could just as easily be dead by next week. Same as anyone else." Giving a sigh, he asks, "Can we now discuss something a little more pertinent? Like, what are our options to rescue Ron?" Looking at Kim, he says, "Ask Wade if he can find Ron through his chip"

Kim grabs her Kimmunicator, just about to do that very thing when she stops and looks at Thomas, "Why do you know about Ron's chip?"

Thomas smirks and asks, "Why doesn't Ron know about the chip?" which silences Kim effectively as she contacts Wade.

"Hey Wade" she asks when the young genius shows up on the screen, "Can you find Ron with his chip?"

Wade looks nervous as he says, "Sorry Kim. That was the first thing I thought of. Where-ever he is, it's blocking the chip's signal. Sorry"

"Don't worry about it" Wade says dejectedly, putting the device back in her pocket.

Shego can't hold it in, and finally bursts into laughter, "That is so rich. Miss Goody Two Shoes has her boyfriend chipped like he's the family dog. Don't trust your boyfriend Little Kimmie?"

"It's not like that" Kim tries to protest, "Wade chipped him years ago. I chewed him out for it after I found out"

"Yet you didn't deactivate the chip, nor tell the sidekick about it" Shego says, practically howling in laughter as Kim squirms uncomfortably.

"Enough Sheila" Thomas says, looking at his descendant sternly. And perhaps surprisingly, Shego goes silent, although she does continue smirking each time she looks at Kim.

"Trust issues aside" Thomas says, "Wade's inability to detect Ron's chip is a problem. But in a way, it makes finding him a tad easier."

"How so?" Kim asks, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Simple. Let me speak to Wade for a second" Thomas says, holding his hand out for the Kimmunicator. Kim reluctantly hands him the Kimmunicator, then blinks in surprise when Thomas handles it expertly, knowing exactly what to do to contact Wade.

Wade's face appears on the screen and he blinks when he sees not Kim, but Thomas instead, "Can I help you sir?"

"Yes Wade" Thomas says, looking out the window when the limo pulls to a stop. Turning back to the screen, he asks, "At what frequency does Ron's chip transmit?"

"39 Gigahertz" Wade says, "I wanted it to be able to transmit through... Oh I see what you're thinking" Typing rapidly, he continues, "Since I'm not picking up Ron's signal, it means he's either deep underground, at least 150 feet down, or surrounded by lead or an energy field that cancels out the signal."

"Let's hope they're not underground" Thomas says as the limo starts moving again, "Building with Lead is expensive, and any energy field of that frequency would require alot of power."

"Got several possibilities on both possibilities" Wade says, smiling, "And the nearest one is 20 miles from your current location. It's an abandoned military base. The base is supposed to be powered down, but I'm reading a massive drain on the energy grid that served the base"

"Fits the time frame" Thomas says, then picks up a phone handset from next to him. Speaking quietly, he gives instructions to the driver, instructing him to head to the hotel. The ride to the hotel is done in silence, each person hopeful of saving Ron before the weapon is used. Once they get to the hotel, Thomas looks at Drakken and says simply, "Get out." Drakken is about to object, but something in Thomas' eyes keeps his mouth shut. Instead, he gets out of the car, grumbling once the door is closed and as the limo drives off, leaving him at the front entrance of the hotel he had been staying at while he came to the gala and the various functions surrounding it.

"I saved the world you know" he mutters, walking into the hotel.

Elsewhere

"Are you still with us Ron?" the man asks, stepping into Ron's field of vision. Looking at the young man bound to the table, the man pulls a knife and says, "It's time to get you ready" he says as he begins cutting Ron's clothing off, Ron holding as still as he can as the razor sharp knife slices through his clothing with ease.

"Hurry up KP" Ron silently prays as the man pulls the clothing away.

Once all that's left is Ron's boxers, the man smiles and says, "Now for the fun part" as he places the knife against Ron's chest and begins working.

"Please hurry" Ron thinks before knife slices flesh and pain chases all thought away.

* * *

AN: Ain't I a stinker? I could have made it longer, but I think this is a great place to pause. Please read and review.


	7. Chapter 6

AN: I don't own anyone from this story except for Thomas, Elizabeth, and the villian of the plot.

Ok, still no guesses. I will put one more reference to it somewhere in this chapter. It will be the most obvious reference I can use without actually giving away the answer. After this, I will give no more hints, and if no-one guesses it by the final chapter, I will give the answer at the final chapter.  
Thanks to Donteatacowman and Screaming Phoenix for their reviews.

* * *

"I thought you said Dr. D could help us?" Shego asks, glaring at Thomas as the limo pulls away, leaving a bewildered and petulant Drakken behind.

"He can, but not for this" Thomas says, "We're about to infiltrate the possible location where Ron is being held. Which requires stealth. And unless my information is wrong, Drakken is about as stealthy as a bull in a china shop. Was I wrong?"

"No" Shego says, leaning back in her seat, "Not really. Then again, a limo isn't exactly inconspicious either"

"The limo isn't going all the way" Thomas says, "We're getting out about a mile from the base and walking the rest of the way"

"But we don't have the time" Kim exclaims, "They could be doing anything to Ron"

"5 minutes either way won't make much of a difference" Thomas says, taking off his suit Jacket. Pulling out a plastic bag from under his seat, he looks at Kim and shego, "Umm, can you two turn away please? I need to change" Kim blushes and turns away, Shego smirking at Kim's reaction as she turns away.

For a few minutes, there's the rustle of cloth on leather, but nothing else. When Thomas says, "It's ok now" both women turn back to face him, staring at his outfit. Dark blue, almost black cotton sweat pants and sweatshirt, with dark blue cloth shoes, and a ski mask of the same shade gripped in his hand.

"You just happen to have clothing made for stealth stashed in your car?" Shego asks, raising an eyebrow in interest.

Thomas shrugs, "What can I say? I'm prepared for almost anything" Pulling the mask on, he says, "When we get out, I'll go ahead and scout the base out. You three come after me. I'll meet up with you at the edge of the base" When Shego and Kim nod, Thomas closes his eyes and leditates for the rest of the trip, leaving Kim and Shego to stare at each other in confusion, while Elizabeth pulls out her own bag and changes into an outfit similar to her father's.

"I take it your father does this alot?" Shego asks, raising an eyebrow as Elizabeth calmly changes right next to her father. Elizabeth nods and says, "Various organizations and governments have my father and I on retainer. We do anything that normal government agents that have to concern themselves with treaties and laws can't."

"So what powers do you possess?" Shego asks

"None" Elizabeth says, "He isn't my real father. He adopted me when I was 3. My parents were killed when the train they were on derailed"

"Oh I am so sorry" Kim says sympathetically.

Elizabeth gives a small smile and a shrug, "I don't even remember them. All I have left of them are photos. Papa says he adopted me because he owned the train and felt bad about what happened. He didn't want me to grow up without a parent, so he arranged things so he could adopt me."

"And, considering he has no qualms about bringing you here," Shego says, "I'm assuming he had you trained?"

"Oh no" Elizabeth says, shaking her head, "He didn't have me trained. He trained me himself. Just as he trained his real children. Then they trained their children and I train mine, and so forth and so on. All the way down the line to you and your brothers and cousins." Shego nods, finally understanding her family's tradition of the parents teaching the kids until the child can defeat the parent in unarmed combat. She had always wondered about that. As a child, she had asked where the tradition had come from, even going so far to ask her great grandmother. None had been able to tell her. Now she knew why.

"But why set up the tradition?" Shego asks.

Elizabeth shrugs, "I know the answer, but you'll have to ask Papa himself"

Before Shego can ask him though, the car pulls to a stop. Looking out the tinted window, everyone sees the base off in the distance. Dull metal and concrete buildings dot the base. Stepping out of the car, Kim opens her pack and pulls out a pair of binoculars. Looking at the base, she notes the broken and boarded over buildings, the empty streets, saying softly, "I don't see anything" Putting her binoculars down, she turns to Thomas, ready to ask him what he thinks, but he isn't where he was a moment ago. Looking around to find him, she spots a black silhouette off in the distance, moving far faster than a human has any right to move. Bringing the binoculars back up to her eyes, she follows Thomas' movement, gasping when he makes a single leap, clearing the ten foot tall fence with at least a foot to spare.

"Apparently, immortality is not his only ability" Shego says, impressed.

Elizabeth smiles and says, "All of his powers are related"

"Related?" Shego asks, "How?"

"His base ability is he absorbs energy" Elizabeth explains, "From anything and everything. Solar energy, kinetic energy just from walking down the street, walking under powerlines. Just by doing his day to day activities, he absorbs energy. And his body uses that energy to increase his physical abilities. He can lift about a ton to a ton and a half, has a top running speed of around 60 miles per hour, and can maintain that speed for about a day straight. He can dodge a bullet at near point blank range, heals far faster than ordinary humans, poisons, toxins, foreign substances and even illnesses are flushed from his system rapidly, and he will not age. And if he's hit with a concentrated burst of energy" she continues, "Such as your plasma, he gets a brief boost to his abilities. The boost lasts only for a few seconds, but it's gotten him out of many scrapes" With that, she pulls on her hood as well and starts moving, heading in the direction her father went, Kim and Shego following.

A few minutes later, they reach the fence Thomas had leaped over. The three women look at the fence, wondering how they'd get past it. Growling in annoyance, Shego flares her hand and brings her hand back, prepared to just melt her way through it. Just as she's about to bring her arm down in a quick strike, her hand is grabbed.

"You idiot" she snarls, turning to see who was dumb enough to incinerate their own hand, only to find Thomas there, his hand enveloped in the plasma surrounding her hand, yet not burning. Instead, it looks as though her plasma is bending around his hand, his hand sucking in the energy she's producing.

Releasing her hand, he shakes the plasma off of it, revealing his hand, unharmed as he says, "I wouldn't do that. There's a mild electrical current running through the fence" nodding towards a small box attached to the nearest fence post, "Breaking the current, either by climbing the fence or cutting it, will set off the alarm"

"So how do we cross?" Kim asks, then watches as Thomas crouches, lacing his fingers together. Elizabeth gets a running start before stepping one foot onto his hands, flipping and twirling gracefully when Thomas tosses her up and over the fence. Like a pole vaulter, Elizabeth bends over backwards, clearing the fence with ease, landing on the other side with a graceful curtsey to her father. After Assisting Shego and Kim over, both clearing the fence with just as much ease as Elizabeth, Thomas jumps back over the fence, landing amidst the three ladies.

"There are some guards patrolling the largest building there" he says, pointing to a 6 story building, easily the size of 3 city blocks.

"So what are we waiting for?" Shego asks, heading towards the builing, "We go in, kick butt, and rescue the sidekick"

"Sounds good to me" Thomas says. That said, the 4 head towards the building. Once at the building, Thomas looks around and says, "Kim, Shego, you two head to the roof. Elizabeth and I will find a way in on this level. We'll distract whoever's inside, while you two find Ronald and get him out."

Shego smirks at Kim, "Who knew we'd be working together? And to save the sidekick to boot?"

"Can it Shego" Kim grumbles, gripping Shego around the waist as she fires her grappling gun at the roof. The gun reels them up quickly and they both land lightly on their feet. Slowly, they make their way to the roof top access.

With a quick flick of her wrists, lockpicking tools slide out of a pouch on Shego's wrist, and within moments, she has the door open, Kim going through first. They make their way down the stairs, coming out onto a balcony that overlooks the main floor. Dominating the center of the room is a huge machine with rounded edges, cables sticking out of it and running across the cement floor, and a glowing yellow rod in the center of the contraption.

"Isn't that..." Kim says before being cut off by someone who has no idea how to control the volume of his voice

"With my Counter Electrodynamic Concentrator ze world vill haff to BOW TO ME!" Professor Dementor shouts out, "Und with ze power grid of zis abandoned MILITARY BASE I vill not fail!"

"Dementor?" Shego asks in shock, "We came to the wrong place?" With a growl, she turns and starts walking off, only to feel Kim grab her arm. Spinning to face Kim she snarls, "What is it Kimmie? We came to the wrong place. We have to go and figure out the next step"

"And we will" Kim says, "But right now, we need to stop Dementor." Hearing a commotion, Kim looks down, only to see Thomas and Elizabeth wading through the henchmen in grey uniforms. Elizabeth is displaying the same gracefulness she showed when tossed over the fence. Her fighting is a beautiful and lethal dance, henchmen falling left and right, her father, Thomas, right next to her, moving in quick controlled bursts, tossing henchmen around left and right.

"Vhat is ze MEANING OF ZIS INTERRUPTION!" Dementor screams, turning to watch the fighting. He's expecting Kim and Ron. Imagine his surpise when instead, he sees two strangers tearing through the best henchmen money can buy with little effort.

Seeing a green light, he looks up to the balcony, jaw dropping as he watches Shego and Kim leaping to the ground floor to join the fray, "KIM POSSIBLE AND SHEGO?" he hollers, "Vhy are you two working together? Have you NOT HEARD OF PROFESSIONAL COURTESY?"

Thomas groans as he listens to Dementor rant. Flipping onto his hand, he does a spinning roundhouse kick, knocking back several henchmen, "Why can't villains ever do things one at a time?" he muses. Elizabeth nods as she does a graceful leaping split, kicking two henchmen, "I hear you. Why can't there be only one?" she asks with a grunt as she backhands another henchman.

"You Vill not succeed THIS TIME FRAULEIN POSSIBLE" Dementor says, giving an evil laugh as he reaches for the switch to activate the machine.

"Oh not again" Kim groans, leaping over the group of henchmen she had been busy with, trying to get to Dementor. But she need not have bothered. Before Dementor can pulls the switch, Shego lets loose with a barrage of fireballs, pushing Dementor back, "I don't think so" she says.

"Good job" Thomas says, doing another one handed spinning kick before flipping back to his feet.

"You Think You Haff Von Fraulein Possible? VELL YOU HAF NOT!" Dementor says, pressing a button on his chest, his minijetpack unfolding on his back and firing.

Kim starts running to catch up to him, but before she can take more than three steps, the building starts shaking, anyone not in the air falling down.

"What was that?" Shego groans, pushing a couple henchmen off of her from when they fell down.

"I don't know" Thomas says

"Earthquake?" Elizabeth asks.

Kim is about to respond when her Kimmunicator beeps it's familiar tune. Answering it, she says, "What's the sitch... Wade?" she asks, concern etched in her face. Wade is unusually pale, and trembling as he looks at her, and for the first time, Kim sees terror in his eyes, "What is it Wade?" she asks, "What's wrong?"

"D-Denver, Kim" Wade stammers, "Denver is gone. Some kind of energy beam hit it." A newsfeed image appears, showing a city-sized crater, at the edges a few broken and burning buildings.

Everyone is stunned, even Dementor, who hadn't managed to get out of the building before the shockwave hit. He slowly lowers himself to the ground, shaking his head, tears running down his cheeks from under his helmet. Sure, he was a villian, but his plans never involved the kind of carnage they were all witness to.

After a few minutes, the newsfeed is interrupted. Displayed is a well lit metal room. At one end, Ron, hanging from shackles, heiroglyph's carved into his flesh, blood slowly dripping from the wounds. His clothing removed, he's now wearing metal bracelets and anklets, along with a thick metal linked belt, the necklace and pendant from the museum, and a thin crown encircling his brow. Standing next to him is an unfamiliar, stocky figure, wearing a tuxedo and some kind of leather mask that covers his uper face, leaving his mouth and part of his nose exposed.

"Ladies and gentlemen" the man says, flashing a wide grin, "We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for an important news bulletin. As I am sure most of you are aware, Denver, Colorado, USA, is no more." His grin gets even wider, "That's right kiddies. Half a million unsuspecting people, are now no more than ash." He pauses, then cups his ear and turns his ear towards the camera and with an innocent look on his face, he asks, "What's that? Some of you want proof that it was indeed I that did it? Well... ok" he finishes with a wide grin.

Lifting the staff up, he taps it on the ground. Instantly, Ron's eyes open wide, glowing bright blue. Pointing at a map with the staff, the man whispers a word and Ron screams as if his very soul was being ripped out. And it very well could be by the looks of it. Issuing from his mouth and eyes, even from his nostrils and ears, is bright blue energy. The energy is pulled to the staff and then released.

As Ron screams, a second voice joins his, sounding like their soul was being ripped out with his. When everyone looks at her, Kim realises that it is her voice that has been added to Ron's. Falling to her knees, she clutches her kimmunicator tightly, moaning in agony as her soul-mate is tortured before the eyes of everyone on the planet.

* * *

AN: Will Ron ever be the same? Will anyone finally guess the cultural reference? Will I ever stop sounding like the announcer from the 1960's Batman television show? Stay tuned and find out. And please, read and review.


	8. Chapter 7

AN: Thomas, Elizabeth, and the villian are mine. The rest belong to Disney. I'm only playing with them, however, I do not promise to return them in the condition I found them in.

Thanks to Screaming Pheonix, Donteatacowman, and Cajunbear for their reviews and suggestions. I am confused though. Which section should I go by? The Stats page says I just received my 1000th hit, but the Reader Traffic page says I only have 832 hits, with 350 unique visitors.

Still no guesses? Oh well, no more clues. I will give one more hint though. Think on everything in the story. The reference is appropriate considering a certain aspect of the story.

* * *

This time, when the man releases the energy, there is no tremors. No sign of where he had struck the second time. However, no-one notices that right away. They're all focused on Kim, who's in hysterics after watching her boyfriend being tortured on live television. Even Shego is uncharacteristically sympathetic. She kneels next to Kim, pulling her in a close hug, whispering softly, "I'm so sorry Kim. I promise, we'll get him back. And we'll make the scumbag who did this to him pay"

Elizabeth kneels next to Kim as well, stroking her back softly as Thomas looks on, sympathy on his face. He's seen and done some terrible things in his life, but no-one deserved what Kim and Ron were going through right now. Reaching into the pockets of his sweatpants, he pulls out a cellphone and makes two calls, stepping away from the trio of women so as not to disturb them.

A few minutes later he comes back. Looking at Dementor, he says softly, "Global Justice is on the way. Will you give them any trouble or do I have to restrain you?"

"Nein" Dementor says, far softer than he has ever spoken, as he stares at the ground in shock "I vill not be any trouble." He looks up at Thomas and says with determination, "I wish to offer my services to capture the madman that is doing this. In fact, I may already have some information"

"What kind of information?" Thomas says, keeping an eye on Kim.

Dementor clears his throat, then says, "I received a call this morning. The man on the other end did not identify himself, but I think it might have been the man on Kim's communication device."

At that, Kim shoots to her feet, murder in her eyes as she stalks over to Dementor. Grabing him by his housecoat, she lifts him up until he's dangling a foot off the ground, "You're working for that monster?" She yells in his face, "Where is he? Where is Ron?!"

"Nein! Nein!" Dementor says, panicking, "I am not working with him! He called me this morning and told me that ze Counter Electrodynamic Concentrator was being held near here, and gave me ze coordinates of this place. He told me that the base would have the energy needs I would require to use the machine! Mein Gott, I swear I am telling ze truth!"

"Take it easy Kimberly" Thomas says, placing his hand on her shoulder, "He's telling the truth."

"How do you know?" Kim asks, spinning to face Thomas, "He could be lying!"

"And in all the time you fought against him", Thomas asks, "Has he ever threatened to harm people?"

Kim looks at Dementor, the wheels in her head turning rapidly. Suddenly, she drops him and crumples to the ground, shedding new tears.

Shego looks at Thomas as Elizabeth moves to comfort Kim once more, "Did GJ mention what was hit this time?"

"Yeah" Thomas says, appearing shaken for the first time, "Mumbai, India. It's the same as Denver. Nothing but a massive crater."

"How are we going to stop him?" Shego asks.

"I don't know," he says, watching his daughter and Kim, "I just don't know"

They spend the rest of the time in silence until Global Justice agents show up. They treat Kim gingerly, gently helping her up, then hand her over to Doctor Director, who wraps her arms around the young woman, "I am so sorry Kimberly" Doctor Director says into her ear, "Come on, your parents are outside. Let's get you home" Kim woodenly lets the head of Global Justice lead her out of the building, and into the waiting arms of her parents, who both wrap their arms around their daughter, all of them crying.

Once Kim has been taken home, Doctor Director heads over to Shego and Thomas. She then barks out, "What happened here?"

Thomas explains everything, taking his time and looking to Shego for anything he may have missed. After the debriefing is over, Elizabeth sighs and says, "We have ourselves a quandary. We have no idea what the man wants. Usually a supervillian will make their demands, and then commence with their plan. Not this one. He destroyed two cities. Almost 15 million dead and he makes no demand."

"Did you trace the broadcast?" Shego asks

Betty shakes her head, "We tried. But it was all over the place."

"I think I have an idea" Thomas says, "But the equipment is going to take some time getting. Some of it will have to be built from scratch. And we will need either Monkey Fist or Rufus"

"We have been unable to locate where Monkeyfist is ," Betty says, "There were reports that DNAmy had it, but we've also been unable to locate her."

"Rufus it is" Thomas says simply.

"I'll have an agent pick him up" Betty says, turning to convey just that order to Will Du, who scowls at being given such a menial task. Once he's gone, Betty looks at Thomas, "Just what do you intend to do?"

"I know about your experiments in using magic" Thomas says, then raising a hand to forestall Betty's objection, "Don't deny it. You forget how high my clearance is?"

Betty glares at him, but doesn't interrupt as Thomas continues, "Now, your research showed that magic utilized forms of unknown, possibly quantum level energy, and that most of the time, it was invisible. In your studies, did you explore mystical energy?"

"We studied a few mystics, but those studies went nowhere. We could find no mystics that would agree to be tested," Betty says, remembering the frustration she felt when she kept getting the steady reports of failure to find even a single mystic willing to assist them. Oh sure, they had plenty of people volunteering to be studied, but every last supposed mystic willing to be studied was proven to be frauds, for various reasons. Some wanted something, and others were just plain crazy. Bety was glad when that particular study had ended.

"Mystics prefer their solitude" Thomas says, "For the most part, they don't want attention brought to themselves."

"Anyways" he says, noting Shego's look of impatience, "Unlike most magic, when mystical energy is manipulated, there is sometimes a display of light around the user. The brighter the light, the more powerful the mystic or the ability they're using"

"If there is light" he says, when he gets blank looks all around, "There is energy that can be analysed."

"Of course" Betty says, snapping her finger, "And Rufus was imbued with mystical monkey power along with Ron."

"Yes" Thomas says, "First, I'd like to see if Rufus can find Ron on his own. If not, we can have him display his abilities, and analyze the energy signature. Wade could help with it probably."

"Give me a list of what you'll need" Betty says.

"Wade would know better than I would" Thomas says. Betty nods and heads off, steeling herself for dealing with a potentially emotional 10 year old kid.

Shego watches everyone leave, then walks to Thomas, "You owe me an explanation."

"Yes I do Sheila" Thomas says, "Come with us, and I'll do my best" With that, they head back to the limo.

* * *

AN: No action I'm afraid. Lot of dialog. Next few chapters will take place mostly in the distant past. Some of yu will have already read the next few chapters. No spoiling it for the others. As always, read and review.


	9. Chapter 8

AN: Again, I do not own Kim Possible, Shego, Team Go, or any others except for the main characters of this story.

As stated before. Some of you may recognize this. Yes I am reposting from the earlier version of A Long Life. Please don't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet..

* * *

"Ok pal" Shego says as they enter the limo, after having left the military base, "You said you'd explain, so start explaining"

"Of course" Thomas says, accepting another can of beer from Elizabeth. After giving her father her drink, Elizabeth curls up on the seat next to Thomas,. She'd heard this story already, but she was ready to listen once more.

"I do not remember a time I was ever any different," Thomas says, sipping from his beer slowly, as the limo starts moving "Even as a child, I was different. I was always a bit faster, a bit stronger than the other children. I rarely got the scrapes and bruises that other children are known for getting, even though I was just as active as any other child and when I did, they healed faster than others' injuries did"

"I was born some time around July of 1823 BC on the Julian calendar, just outside of Kanesh, an Assyrian trading post in what is today called Turkey. One of my earliest memories was as a child of around 10, playing with my friends".

_"Zipani_(1)_, you get down from that tree", the boy's mother calls, looking out of her family's clay hut at her son, a gangly boy, with black hair and dark brown eyes with olive brown skin, much like the boy's father, who had died a year previously when bandits had raided the village. In contrast, his mother was exceptionally pale. When she had been born, she had been seen as a portent of the gods, although none knew whether her pale skin and light eyes bode ill or well for the village she had been born in._

_Zipani looks towards his mother, laughing as he climbs higher on the medium sized tree, his friends surrounding him, cheering him on. His mother watches for a moment, then goes back to sweeping out their home, shaking her head as a small smile plays on her lips._

_Suddenly, a scream from one of the kids, and a sickening thud brings her running, her cleaning forgotten as she shoves her way through the crowd of kids and other gathering onlookers. In the middle of the group is her son, arm held at an angle nature did not intend, broken bone showing through flesh, blood oozing from both the arm and a deep gash on the head._

_Taking Zipani in her arms, his mother sits in the dirt and cries her grief into the heavens as injuries such as her son's almost always prove fatal. As Zipani's breathing slows, his mother strokes his hair, softly singing the lullaby she used to sing to him when he was just a baby. As she sings, the villagers grow silent, mourning in their own way._

_The silence is suddenly broken as Zipani's eyes open widely and he screams in agony as his muscles tighten, causing his back to arch. The villagers step back in fright, muttered whispers traveling between them._

_Soon though, the mutters and whispers silence as an odd sight greets them. Before their very eyes, the gash on Zipani's head slowly closes, healing before their eyes, causing many of them to make signs of warding. Another sound soon joins his screaming, the sound of bones grinding and cracking as his arm straightens, the exposed bone sliding back under his skin, the hole in his arm healing as fast as the gash on his head had healed._

_Soon, there is no sign of any damage, Zipani, whole and apparently hale, lying in his mother's arms, still unconscious, but breathing deeply. His mother continues holding him, stroking his hair and murmuring softly, ignoring the angry sounding mutters going on around her. But she can't ignore what happens next._

_As if they needed the time to build up the courage, two of the villager's hunters move to grab the boy, as other villagers encourage them. It's hard to make out what they're saying, as so many are speaking at once, but the intent in the hunters' eyes is unmistakable._

_"No" Zipani's mother screams at them, holding her son tightly against her, fighting the men, "You can't have my son!. He's all I have left. I won't let you take him!"_

_"He is cursed by the gods" one of the villagers say, "It's best to take him out of the village before the gods turn their anger on us"_

_"I think I should be the judge of that" a new voice says, "Give the boy to me and I will ask the gods what they want us to do". The villagers turn, the crowd parting to let Naram, the villager's well loved priest, through._

_Kneeling next to boy and mother, he smiles at Zipani's mother, his white hair shining brightly in the desert sun, "Come with me Khepa" he says, gently helping her rise, "The boy has been touched by the gods. We must see if it is for good or ill"_

"The priest prayed over me for several days during which, my mother and I were not allowed to eat, and were given only small sips of water to drink at a time. During that time, I was told of what had happened, as I did not remember. I suppose that was when I fully realized that I was not like other people. I should have died that day, or during the next few weeks. Either from my injuries, or from the wasting sickness that follows such injuries. At the least, I should have lost my arm. Yet I did not.

In the end, the priest declared that I was indeed touched by the Gods. The priest, he was wise. When one villager moved to strike me after the test, he stepped betwen us and said that to touch me might bring about the wrath of the Gods. He said that although he did not know the reason why I was touched, the fact that I was healed should be seen as a good thing, not bad.

After that though, my life changed. Few wanted anything to do with me. At first, I still played with the other kids, however, eventually, the attitudes of the adults bled through to the children and even they shunned me. Well, most of them did."

"Ah," Thomas says, looking out the limo's window, "We're here"

Looking out the window, Shego sees the Champs Hotel, one of the ritziest in town, "Nice place" She says, "I think I stole something from here once"

"I'd avoid mentioning that" Thomas says with a chuckle as they get out of the limo, "I'd like to be able to come back"

* * *

AN: 1. Zipani was the name of a king of Kanesh who reigned sometime around the 22nd century BC. No my guy is not the same guy. They just share the same name. I will be doing this for other characters dating from his life in Anatolia, as outside of references to royalty and deities, I can't find anything about names that would have been used. So, I am working on the assumption that, just like us today, people would be named after historical and royal figures, and also that royalty would have been given normal names. Like Queen Elizabeth. People were named after her, but people were also named Elizabeth before she came along.

AN: Please read and review.


	10. Chapter 9

AN: I no own. Would appreciate it if Disney no sue.

* * *

After checking in, Thomas leads Elizabeth and Shego up to the top floor, the elevator opening onto a suite that spans the entire floor. 6 rooms, a dining room with a cherry table and dark carpeting with a light blue wall, paintings and sculptures adorning the walls, a functional kitchen that would be the envy of any chef, 2 massive bedrooms done in earth tones, a sitting room and an entertainment room with the latest in amenities.

Elizabeth goes to the bar and starts pouring drinks, Shego taking a daquiri, and Thomas taking whiskey this time. As Elizabeth prepares the drinks, Thomas goes to the kitchen, coming back with a platter of sandwiches. Setting the platter down on the coffee table in the sitting room, he takes his whiskey from Elizabeth, then sits down on the recliner and eases himself back.

Staring at the ceiling, he says, "Where was I? Oh yeah. As I was saying, while I was mostly shunned, one person did not shun me."

_"Hello Zipani," the voice says as Zipani stands at the shore of the salt lake near the village, tossing stones into the water. Since he fell out of the tree 7 years ago, the other kids shunned him. He was forced to find ways to entertain himself. He took to swimming, which filled him out and gave a hint of the man he would later become. Broad shoulders, long straight black hair down to his shoulders framing a strong brow, piercing dark eyes, and a square jaw._

_Turning, Zipani smiles when he sees that it's Muwatti, a young girl of 16 who came to the village 3 years prior. Tall and slender, with light brown expressive eyes, long dark brown hair that frames a heart shaped face, she had many suitors when she first came. However, she seemed to only have eyes for Zipani. Even when others told her his tale, she did not shun him as others did. Instead, she immediately joined him in his activities, and even dragged him around on her activities, something Zipani appreciated, although he did protest some of the things she dragged him to._

_"My father wants you to come over tonight," she says, picking up a stone and chucking it at the lake, cheering when she makes the stone skip._

_"The wedding plans?" he asks, throwing a stone after she does and groaning when it sinks without even skipping once. A year ago, Zipani had proposed to Muwatti, and surprisingly, she accepted. Well, it was a surprise to him. Everyone else was surprised that it wasn't Muwatti that had proposed to Zipani._

_6 months prior_

_"Hi mom," Zipani says as he rushes inside and heads to his sleeping area. Reaching his area, he opens his chest and starts digging around, muttering "Where is it? I just put it in here."_

_"Looking for this?" Khepa asks, scowling at her son as she holds up a silver and gold banded necklace inset with lapis lazuli and carnelian stones, "Where did you get this?" she asks._

_Zipani gulps and smiles nervously, "Mursuli made it for me" he says. Mursuli was the local jeweler, usually commisioned to work for the priest. He was one of the few that did not shun Zipani._

_"And why would he do that?" she asks, looking over the necklace, impressed by the delicate work and excellent craftsmanship._

_"Because I intend to ask Muwatti to marry me" Zipani says with a sheepish smile, blushing as he looks down at the floor._

_"Oh Zipani," Khepa exclaims, rushing to her son and hugging him tightly, "I am so proud of you."_

_"I love her mother," he says, hugging Khepa back, "She's smart, beautiful, and she didn't outright reject me like the other girls of the village."_

_"I know Zipani," his mother says, "I know."_

_They stay like that, in comfortable silence, for a few more moments before his mother is forced to ask, "But Zipani, how did you pay for it?"_

_Present_

_Muwatti fingers the necklace she's wearing as she says, "Yes. He says he wants to get to know his future son in law better."_

_Zipani groans, "I don't like the way that sounds," he says. The last time her father had said that, they had spent several hours in a bout of friendly wrestling. Thing is, is that Zipani had to take it easy, and Muwatti's father sensed it. Sensed it and resented it. Unfortunately, there was nothing Zupani could do. Ever since he had healed from that fall 7 years ago, he'd been noticing other things about himself. Things that, outside of his healing, no-one else noticed. But things that he noticed. Ever since that day, he had found that he was faster, stronger, more agile, and had better endurance than others. It wasn't blatant, perhaps no more than a trained athlete could do, but he was no trained athlete. He didn't do anything different than the other members of his village. He could even surpass the blacksmith, and the blacksmith had a better reason than him to be so strong. He pounded on metal day after day. Zipani did not have that excuse._

_So, he had to hold himself back the night he wrestled his fiance's daughter._

_"He's not wanting to wrestle again is he?" Zipani asks, a pleading look on his face as he looks to his future wife._

_Muwatti laughs at Zupani's expression, stepping to him and kissing him lightly on the lips. Both wanted more, but they would not tempt the gods by doing more than that before their wedding night. "No beloved" she whispers against his lips, "You do not have to wrestle him," she alone, besides Zipani's mother, knew Zipani's secret. Unlike his mother though, she took her father's side. She saw no reason for Zipani to hide his abilities. Didn't the priest say all those years ago that Zipani had been touched by the Gods? If that was so, then he had no reason to hold back. Of course, she's glad her father wasn't hurt, but her father used to wrestle back in his home village. And trained wrestlers knew how to keep themselves from being injured during matches._

_"He just wants to know what you have planned for after the wedding," she says with a small smile, "You know, how are you planning on taking care of me and our future family."_

_"I think I'd prefer the wrestling" Zipani mutters, earning a slap on the shoulder from Muwatti. He laughs and kisses her again, then pulls away and looks over the lake, "I was thinking of apprenticing with the priest. He said he'd be proud to teach me."_

_"That's great" Muwatti says, smiling, "I'm sure father will be proud."_

_Holding hands, they walk back to the village. As they walk, Muwatti asks, "So how did you pay for the necklace?"_

_Zipani shrugs and says, "I did some odd jobs around the village. Did you know Ammuna has an entire wall of lake smoothed rocks he's gathered since he was a child?"_

We were married 3 months later. I wish I could say that it was a grand affair. I wish I could. But it would be a lie. While Muwatti was loved by the village, I was not. And not many wanted to see their beloved Muwatti marrying the village outcast. The only ones who showed up was Muwatti's family, my mother, and the very few who did not think ill of me, like the priest. Of course, he had to show up. He was officiating the ceremony.  
But I cannot complain. Despite it's small size, the wedding was perfect. Although I must admit, I did get a little drunk during the small party held after the wedding. Thankfully, Muwati forgave me.

"And 9 months later, our son was born. My little prince. Pithana," Thomas pauses, wiping a tear from his eyes. Elizabeth comes to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm sorry" Thomas says, composing himself by taking deep breaths "What comes next... it's painful for me to remember"

Shego nods in understanding. She has her share of sorrow and heartbreak.

"Anyways, 9 months after the wedding, my son Pithana was born" Thomas says, smiling, "A beautiful boy, full of life, curious about everything. Fiercely independent and a mischievous streak a mile wide" He chuckles, "There was this one time, when he was 7" Thomas shakes his head, smiling at the memory, "An artist was working on a painting for the temple. Pithana got into the man's paints, and proceeded to paint the temple the way he thought it should look. And of course, as he was a child, I was the one who had to clean his mess up."

"So for a time, we had a happy life, Pithana, Muwatti, and I," Thomas says, getting a haunted look in his eyes, "But the gods had other plans for me. Plans that didn't include my wife and son"

Rising, Thomas walks to the door leading to the balcony, "Please, give me a minute. I need to.." He shakes his head and steps onto the balcony. Shego rises to join him, but Elizabeth shakes her head, "No. He has moments when he needs to be alone. Give him a few minutes and he'll come back."

Shego nods and sits down, picking up a sandwich and taking a bite of it. She was content to wait. But not for long. While what he was saying was important to her, she had yet to see what relation it had with what was happening with Ron and the two destroyed cities. And for the moment, that is what she was more concerned about.

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AN: what do you all think so far? Compelling story? while there are at least a dozen more chapters of his back story left, I think I'll only post one or two more this time before getting back to the main story. As always, please read and review.


	11. Chapter 10

AN: Blah Blah Blah. I own nothing but Thomas, Elizabeth, and the villian.

Thanks to my regular reviewers for their kind words. I've also decided to be nice and present one more reference somewhere in this chapter.

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Thomas comes back in after about ten minutes. His face is haggard, eyes red-rimmed. Sitting down in his chair with a groan, he leans back and says, eyes staring at the ceiling, "God, I get so tired of it sometimes. I go on and everything around me dies."

He sighs and takes a sip of his whiskey, "Anyways, Pithana, my little prince."

_"Stay in sight Pithana" Muwatti calls to her son, her husband of 10 years by her side as they walk alongside the river._

_The last ten years had been amazing to say the least. Pithana had been born 9 years ago, and although there had been some trouble with his birth, all had turned out well. Now, he was a strong boy, with his mother's eyes and his father's strong jaw and nose. His coloration went back to his grandmother, paler than the people around him, but it didn't seem to stop the rambunctious lad. Unlike his father at his age, Pithana had no trouble making friends. It was even rumoured that if things keep going as they seemed to, when Pithana reached the age of decision, he might be considered for a leadership position._

_Right now though, Pithana had no thoughts of the future. Spying a ripple at the edge of the river, he runs to the bank and dashes his hand into the water, laughing as a large frog just barely manages to escape him by going into the deeper parts of the river. Pithana contemplates following the frog, but knowing his mother and father would get mad at him, he forgoes chasing the frog, Instead, he picks up a branch and pretends to be a great sword fighter._

_"Let him play my love" Zipani says, pulling his wife closer. Although it hasn't become apparent yet, Zipani had, to all intents and purposes, stopped aging around 5 years ago. For now though, he simply looked in his early 20's, despite being 27._

_Watching his son playing, he smiles, thinking on the changes in his life since he married Muwatti. Although it had been slow, soon after his marriage, he had slowly gained acceptance once more in the village. People that had once walked to the other side of the main road to avoid him now came up to greet him. The old pirest's decision to retire last year, naming Zipani as his replacement had helped as well. No-one wanted to anger the gods by shunning their servant after all._

_"He shouldn't be so close to the river though" Muwati says, looking at the rain gorged river with trepidation. Just last month, Sarumma, the son of the village blacksmith, had fallen into the river and was swept away. His body had been found a week later, bloated and partially eaten by desert predators._

_"Don't worry" Zipani says, smiling, "Nothing will happen. We both have talked to Pithani about the river's seasons. He knows that this is a bad time to go swimming. We raised a smart son."_

_"What do you mean we?" Muwatti asks, smirking at her husband, "If I weren't here, you'd be just as bad as he is"_

_Zipani laughs and says, "Alright. Alright. You raised a smart son. I raised a tiny terror"_

_Muwatti nods emphatically, saying, "And don't you forget it", although her smile shows she's just teasing. "Have you given thought to what you'll talk about this week?" she asks_

_"I was thinking I'd talk about Telepinu and how the Gods search for him, but fail to find him." he says, "There are two lessons that can be drawn from that. The first deals with Telepinu, and about how we shouldn't let our anger drive us. The second is about the bee that found and stung Telepinu. Thinking that can be about how we should not discount someone despite how small or weak they appear to be. Or it could be a cautionary tale about not attacking a superior force"_

_"Are you sure that's a good lesson?" she asks, frowning, "Reports have been coming in of the Assyrian raiding parties destroying villages. Should we be telling our people not to stand up to them?"_

_"Good point" he says, thinking on it, "Perhaps I should go the route of not discounting a smaller force then. Give our people courage and let them know the Gods are behind them"_

_"Have I told you that I love you?" Muwatti asks, smiling._

_"Yes, but I didn't quite hear it" Zipani says, chuckling, "Perhaps you should say it again. Just to be safe"_

_"Fine" Muwatti says, giving a sigh of mock exasperation. Grabbing her husband, she pulls him close and is about to kiss him when Pithana comes running back, "Mama, Papa, there are men ahead. Men with swords"_

_Muwatti looks at Zipani in concern as Zipani's face hardens, "Muwatti, take Pithani home and warn the men"_

_"But.." she begins to say when Zipani cuts her off, "Just go"_

_"Al-alright" she says, her voice trembling. Pulling Zipani close, she kisses him and whispers against his lips, "Be safe husband"_

_"I will be fine" Zipani murmurs, "It's probably nothing. Scouts perhaps. I'll just see what they want" Releasing his wife, he watches as she and their son run back towards the village. When he can no longer see them, his face hardens and he turns, moving to investigate the group._

_Getting close, he watches the group approach and does a quick count, then curses. 50 soldiers. 30 swordsmen and 20 archers by the looks of things, all of them on horseback. Too well armed to be scouts. The designs on the armor tell him that the soldiers are Assyrian. Muttering curses, he moves off, keeping low and hoping he hadn't been seen._

_The gods must have been in a sick humor that day because before he can go ten paces, a sharp pain in his back, and he falls over, several arrows sticking out of him like he was an oversized porcupine. None of the arrows have hit anything vital, so, bleeding, and in pain, Zipani struggles to his fet and he stumbles away, trying to keep ahead of the rapidly approaching soldiers on horseback. He doesn't get far befopre he's kicked into the dirt. Spitting dirt, he struggles to rise, and is knocked back down as laugbhing soldiers leap off their horses and kick, punch, and beat him with clubs. After a few blows to the head, Zipani sinks into oblivion as one soldier takes his sword and plunges it through Zipani's stomach._

I don't know how much time passed between when I was first knocked out and when I awoke. All I know is that I awoke in agony. What I felt when I fell out of that tree when I was ten was a gentle spring shower compared to after those soldiers left me for dead. My flesh and blood felt as if they were on fire. I felt every bone that had been broken, scraping raw nerves as they reset themselves and healed. I always feel it when I heal from any injury. I heal faster than others. A month's worth of healing in less than an hour. And I feel every moment.

Once the pain had sunk to a more bearable level, I made my way to my feet and stumbled to the village. What greeted me upon my return haunts my darkest nightmares. My village burned.

I made my way through the smoke, tripping over the dead and the dying, calling for my wife and son. An eternity of searching and I found a sight that chilled my blood.

In the center of the village, several spikes set into the ground. Adorning each spike was the head of a village leader, with the center spike... The center spike had the head of the previous priest, his eyes gouged out, and his tongue cut off.

But it was what was laying on the ground before the spikes that drove me to my knees, howling into the skies. My son. My little Prince. The bastards had tied him to horses and tore him apart. Thinking back, I can imagine what happened.

My son and wife made it back to the village and went around, warning the leaders. When the soldiers arrived, the leaders went out and tried to reason with the Assyrians. Whatever they said, the Assyrians cut them down. My son, my hotheaded little prince. He must have taken up a sword and tried to fight back. A child against grown men. If they had time to tear him apart with their horses, they must have overpowered him and kept him alive long enough to kill the adult men that came against them. Soldiers against farmers and children. My village didn't stand a chance. The males and elderly females were slaughtered, the females, including my wife, taken as slaves. And in the dirt, partially buried, I found the necklace I gave Muwatti for our wedding. That, more than anything, seemed to signify an end to the life I had once known. No longer was I innocent.

"I wanted to chase after them. By the gods, I wanted to save my wife," Thomas says, his voice hitching as he fights to control his emotions, "But I had to bury the dead. I was the village priest. It was my duty to see the spirits of the dead off to the next life. It took me a week to bury them all and do the proper rites to ensure their souls would reach Heaven. A week for the anger and hate in my heart to fester and burn. I swore vengeance that day. I swore before the gods that the Assyrians would pay. I spilled my blood upon their altar as I made my vow."

Taking a deep shaky breath, he continues, "That final day in the village, I tore off the beads that marked me as a man of the gods, and for the first time in my life, I picked up a sword. And for the next 1600 years I let my anger drive me. I wandered the Assyrian Empire, at first, searching for my wife. I searched for her for a century, and then I was forced to realize that I would never find her alive. After that, I let my desire for vengeance guide me. Wandering the borders and joining any army that sought to drive Assyria to it's knees. In that time, I had no friends. No allies. Everyone fell into two camps. Those that could help me get vengeance, and those in my way. Even when I slept with women it was angry. No tender words, no gentle touches. Just a way to slake my needs upon any willing female. And even some that weren't willing.  
But in time, anger cools, and the sweetness of vengeance turns to ashes in the mouth. In time, I was merely making the motions. I felt nothing any more. I wandered away from Assyria and made my way East and North, eventually finding myself in China."

"Don't get me wrong" Shego says, "I do find this fascinating, and when all this is over, you and I will go over this in detail. However, what does this have to do with the weapon?"

Thomas nods and says, "Well, for that, we have to go back a bit in my history. Before China, before I left Anatolia. Even before my desire for vengeance faded"

Rising, he goes to refill his whiskey, "Would you believe me if I told you that it was never intended to be a weapon?" Turning to face her, he says, "The man who created it intended it to be a tool for healing. It was supposed to bathe the target in a gentle beam of mystical energy, revitalizing them."

"You're kidding" Shego says, stunned, "The thing that took out two cities, killed 15 million people, was meant to heal people?"

"It was developed because Kalun was suffering from a plague. Kalun was a small village about two days journey from Kinalua, the main city of Unqi, one of the states that arose when the Hittite Empire had fallen," Thomas says, "I was there, helping the military fight back an Assyrian incursion. During lulls in the fighting, I explored the village and befriended one of the priests there. A fellow named Zidanta. He had some interesting ideas concerning mystics."

_"Zipani!" Zidanta exclaims, looking up from his dusty scrolls, "I think I found it!"_

_"Found what?" Zipani asks from where he's sitting, enjoying a glass of beer. As he sips the beer, he tells himself to remember that if he ever found himself in Egypt, that he needed to thank them for inventing the drink._

_"A way to use Martuk's mystic power to heal the villagers" Zidanta says, rushing over to Zipani to show him the scroll._

_"I thought Martuk could already heal people?" Zipani says, "Isn't that why he's here?"_

_"Yes he can" Zidanta says, "But Martuk can only heal one person at a time. These scrolls tell of a way to heal everyone at once"_

_"Really?" Zipani says, curious as he grabs the scroll to read it. Ten minutes later, he puts the scroll down and looks at Zidanta, "It's worth a shot I suppose. How can I help?"_

_"I need some materials that aren't available in the nearby mines. You have an ear with the King. See if he can get a hold of them"_

_"Sure, what items?"_

_"I need stones. Precious stones. Lazvard(1), and rubies" Zidanta says. Grabbing a piece of parchment, he writes a quick list, then hands it to Zipani, "This is what I need."_

_Zipani looks over the list, his eyebrow quirking at the last item,"A ruby the size of a grown man's fist? I know of one, but I'm not sure if I can get it. It's part of the King's collection."_

_"You saved his daughter's life a few months ago didn't you?" Zidanta asks, referring to an incident when the horses pulling a passing chariot panicked. The chariot had fallen over and trapped the young girl under it. Zipani had lifted the chariot off of her. In gratitude, the King had sworn a life debt to Zipani._

_"Yes" Zipani says, "I did, but he doesn't owe me anything"_

_"He thinks he does" Zidanti says with a smirk_

_"True" Zipani says, then sighs, "Fine. I'll see what I can do. I'll try to be back in two weeks"_

_Zidanta nods, "No real hurry. It's going to take me time to gather the gold and silver and the other materials."_

So I left. And although the king was reluctant to part with his prized ruby, when I explained what it was for, he gladly gave it over. He did declare us even though, which was fine by me. When I got back, Zidanta got to work immediately. While I was gone, he had acquired the materials he needed, and had even had them shaped. All that was left was setting the stones, which took him about a week. Once he was ready, Zidanta, Martuk, and I moved out to the desert to test it. We picked out three people suffering from the plague that was wiping out the village, and broght them with us.

The reason we took it out to the desert was so the villagers wouldn't see the test. Zidanta didn't want to get their hopes up. I was thankful later that we did it that way. I don't want to think about what I would have done had we decided to test it on the town, considering what happened.

Once three days had passed since we lost sight of the town, Zidanta stopped. Opening the chest he had used to carry the artifacts, he had Martuk put them on. While Martuk got dressed, I arranged the three villagers, getting them as comfortable as one could get when laying down on sand.

Once everyone was ready, Zidanta stood between the mystic and the villagers, while I stood a good ways off. I saw him take the scroll and read it one last time before he tapped the ground, then pointed it at the villagers. Despite being too far away to hear Zidanta, I heard the Martuk cry out in agony, and saw his body arch back, every muscle of his tightening, forcing him rigid as his mystic energy was ripped from him and drawn to the staff. I ran towards him, hoping to break the connection, but a flash of light stopped me in my tracks. As if sent by the gods I worshipped back then, a bold of the bluest light shot down from the sky, hiding the villagers from view.

In that moment, I was aware of everything. While the light shot down to the ground, I saw Martuk fall to the ground, as limp as a cloth doll. I also saw Zidanta drop his staff, staring in horror at where the villagers had been. I was rooted to the spot, fear, concern, even anger warring in my heart, each demanding action. And when the light faded, I fell forward, vomiting into the sand because of the sight before me. All that remained of the villagers was blackened fragments of bone, the sand beneath them turned to glass. As I kneeled on the sand, tears running down my face, retching into the desert, a new sound filled the air. Martuk was screaming, gibberish flowing from his lips as he rushed Zidanta.

I quickly rose to my feet and ran towards my friend, who stayed rooted in place, but I was too late. By the time I reached them, Martuk had wrapped his large hands around Zidanta's throat and snapped his neck. When he released Zidanta, I stopped running, watching as my friend dropped to the sand, lifeless. I then watched as Martuk slowly approached me, mad laughter bubbling from betwen his lips, his eyes wild as tears ran down his face.

Although it shames me to this day, I did the only thing I could at the time. When Martuk reached out for me, I ducked under his arms and struck him in the head as hard as I could. As his skull cracked under my fist, I whispered to him, "I'm sorry". Grabbing him, I gently eased him down, holding him as he died, gibbering madness until his eyes clouded over.

I don't know how long I sat there, holding Martuk's lifeless body. All I know is that it was afternoon when Zidanti had tapped the ground, and by the time I finally stood, night had already fallen. Moving slowly, I buried the remains of the villagers, then Zidanti. When I got to Martuk, I stripped him of Zidanti's foul creation, then buried him as well, saying a prayer over the 5 graves. Placing the items in the chest, I left that region, never to return.

As I travelled over the next year, I would bury each piece in a separate location, save for the amulet, which I attached to the necklace of my wife, then hid in a tomb at what had been the edge of the former Hittite Empire.

Thomas had been silent for ten minutes before Shego finally managed to speak, "If you hid the pieces, then how were they found?"

Thomas givces a weak chuckle, "Despite my many abilities, memory isn't one of my strong suits. I wrote down the locations where I hid the items, that way I would remember, and would know where to go to check on them, make sure no-one had found them. In time though, I no longer needed the scroll. I suppose I left it behind somewhere, and someone else found it and kept it. Why they would, I don't know. All the scroll had on it was the names of cities that had existed in my early life, but existed no longer."

Giving a groan, Thomas rises, stretching as he says through a yawn, "Get some sleep Shego. We have a big day tomorrow. Elizabeth will show you to your room" That said, he scratches the back of his head, yawning as he heads to his bedroom.

Elizabeth leads Shego to a large bedroom, and although Shego does lay down, it's several hours before she can sleep, Thomas' tale going through her head. And when she does sleep, her dreams are filled with blue light, blackened bones and melted glass.

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1: Lazvard was the Egyptian name for Lapiz Lazuli. I would have preferred to use the ancient names of the gold silver and rubies, but I couldn't find anything on it.

Wow. My longest chapter yet.

AN: Don't worry, Donteatacowman, I will post something on Ron in the next chapter. In fact, I think he might actually take up a whole chapter. I don't know though. We'll see after I get up. It's bed time for me. Please, read and review everyone. I really appreciate them.


	12. Chapter 11

AN: I don't own anything from Kim Possible.

Thanks to my reviewers for their words. WOOT! Now it doesn't matter which page I look at. Both the Stats page and the Reader Traffic Page say I've got over 1000 hits. Thank you everyone for reading this story. I really appreciate it. Not even a single guess on the reference I left in the last chapter?

As promised, this chapter is about Ron. I will add in a bit about Kim somewhere in this chapter as well.

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Ron Stoppable, Mad Dog Mascot, BFBF to one Kimberly Anne Possible, makes his way into the school's gym for the start of cheer practice. He smiles when he sees Kim looking his way, but the smile fades when Kim turns away as if she hadn't seen him. Shrugging, he dismisses it as her getting ready for the cheer routine, although the scowl she had shot his way was harder to dismiss. As far as he knew, he hadn't messed up yet. His pants were still on, and nothing was blowing up after all.

Giving a shrug, he figures she'll tell him what's bothering her after practice. As he slides his Mad Dog head on, he spots Shego entering the gym. Wearing a cheerleader outfit, she joins the group, then their practice begins as Ron starts struggling to put the head on. But, no matter what he does, he just can't get his head through the opening. Hopping all over the gym, he grunts and groans, "Oh come on" he whines as he gives one final tug on the head. Overbalanced and now blind as the head came on backwards, he stumbles around, arms windmilling, panicking, "KP partner in trouble!" he screams out.

"No Ron!" he hears the girls cry out moments before he crashes into the pyramid that the girls had formed. Ron screams again, the girls screaming as they fall, a large mass of tangled limbs, bruised flesh and torn clothing.

Seeing the pile before him, Ron smiles sheepishly and is about to speak when Kim gives the most hate filled glare he had ever seen on her face. Gulping, Ron backs away as Bonnie says, working her own way out of the pile, "Geez Stoppable. What a loser"

Shego gets her way out and she nods, backing Bonnie, "I mean come on Pumpkin," she says with a sneer, "What did you ever see in the buffoon?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kim's glare changes to a sneer, "I've been wondering that myself." Moving to walk around him, she eyes him up and down, "I mean, You're a klutz. My parents had to buy additional insurance when you started coming over. And what is with those ears?" She asks, flicking her finger against one hard enough to hurt, "What are you? Part elephant?" Poking his stomach, "No sense of fashion at all. Your mother dress you?," She laughs at his wounded expression, then pokes his stomach again, "And you have no muscle. I'm surprised you managed to keep up with me on my missions" She shakes her head, then asks, "Do you know why I brought you on those missions? It sure wasn't because you actually helped." Leaning in close, she gives his ear a lick before whispering into it, "You're like a big puppy dog. Faithfully following along, making a fool of yourself because you loved me" Stepping away, she heads to the bleachers and sits in Josh Mankey's lap as everyone laughs at Ron.

Shaking, Ron says softly, "You loved me too. You said you did."

Throwing her head back, Kim shrieks in laughter, "Love you? Why would I love you? You're just a dog" Then leaning in, she gives Josh a deep kiss, Ron just standing there, his tail swishing sadly on the floor.

"Aww, the puppy is sad" Shego says in mock sympathy. Walking over to Ron, she kneels down and scratches Ron behind his big floppy ears, Ron's tail slowly dragging across the floor.

Suddenly, Shego's nose wrinkles and she cries out in disgust, "Bad puppy. Bad puppy!. You do that outside" grabbing Ron by his leash, she turns him around, shoving his nose into a yellow puddle that was beneath him, "Bad puppy" She admonishes him, slapping his nose with a rolled up newspaper before she drags Ron the dog outside.

His leash is dropped, and he hears the door slam shut behind him. Spinning on all fours, he barks in surprise when he sees the school building gone. In it's place, and stretching as far as the eye can see, are rolling hills of green grass, the scent of jasmine and hyacinth filling the air. The peaceful scene around him starts to relax him, and Ron flops to the ground, sighing sadly.

"Stoppable-san" a familiar voice says from behind him.

Rising to his human feet, Ron spins around. Seeing Master Sensei floating a foot above the ground, Ron gives a groan as he bows. Rising, he says dejectedly, "As if my day isn't bad enough. Now you're hear to strip me of my powers and the Lotus Blade"

Shaking his head, Master Sensei says, "No Stoppable-san. Even were I able, I would not. Sun Wukong chose you as his servant. And I believe that he, in his unorthodox way, has chosen well. You have served him well. You have served Yamanouchi well. And most importantly, you have served yourself well."

"Then why are you here?" Ron asks, "Not that I'm not honored. Of course I am. Anyone would be honored to be visited by a venerable man such as yourself. Not that you're old or anything, and I'm gonna shut up now" he says, trailing off as Sensei lets a small smile escape.

The smile fades though and Master Sensei says, "Stoppable-san, you are traveling a dark road now. A road that I cannot follow. But do not despair."

"It hurts though" Ron says, sitting down and assuming a lotus position, Sensei joining him, "It hurt so much. And I've done such horrible things"

Sensei looks at Ron, wise eyes now filled with sadness, "No Ron" he says, "You did nothing wrong"

"I let myself be captured" Ron exclaims, "I let that... that monster rip the MMP from me and do such terrible things with my powers" Looking between his legs, he says dejectedly, "I failed Master Sensei. Man's darkest hour, and I failed. And what's worse, it's my power, power that was supposed to protect people, that's causing so much harm"

"Stoppable-san" Sensei says, "You have not failed. You will only fail the moment you give up"

"But I'm alone" Ron says, starting to cry, "I expected Shego and Bonnie to be that way, but even Kim rejected me. I failed and she rejected me"

"No Stoppable-san" Sensei says sternly, "She has not abandoned you. What occurred before was but a dream. Her heart aches because you are suffering." Tilting his head, Sensei appears to be listening to something, "Even now, her heart calls out for you. Listen to your own heart. It knows what is true"

"WHat do I do Sensei?" Ron asks, looking at Master Sensei once more.

Sensei starts to fade, his voice the last to go, "Trust in those you love. Even as we speak, they are working to bring you back."

As the world around him fades, Ron hears one last thing from Master Sensei, "This is not man's darkest hour Stoppable-san. Your role in destiny has yet to be played"

"Finally awake see" Ron hears as his eyes slowly open. Staring right down at him, the man smiles and says, "Good. I hope you enjoyed your nap my boy."

"W-Why are you doing this?" Ron rasps out, his throat dry, the flesh around the deep cuts on his stomach and chest itching like crazy.

"Why?" The man asks, chuckling, "Why am I doing this?" He stops and appears deep in thought, "Good question I suppose." Moving around the table Ron is once more chained to, the man speaks as he grabs a cup. Placing the straw in Ron's mouth, he has him drink the water, "I suppose it's because I'm stark raving mad," he says, bursting into laughter.

When Ron starts coughing on the water, he takes the water away. He waits for Ron's coughing fit to subside, then says,"At least, that's what my psychiatrist said at the hospital. Before I ripped her throat out with my teeth that is." He shrugs, "She tried telling me magic and mysticism wasn't real." Giving a chuckle, he says, "She apparently never met you my young friend"

"You were committed because you believed in magic?" Ron asks, confused, to which the man roars in laughter.

"Oh no" he says, "This is the new millennium after all. A person can believe in anything they want these days." He shakes his head, chuckling. Looking at Ron, he smiles, teeth flashing menacingly, "No Ron. I was committed because I killed 15 people. Yup. Was a nurse at Shady Oaks nursing home. Sent 13 of the residents, plus two doctors to their final rewards" He winks at Ron, "I think it was the 12th victim that got me committed." He shrugs, "They just never understood. I don't do this for fun" he smiles, "Although it is." He shakes his head, "No. I do this for a reason."

"And why is that?" Ron asks, not bothering to hide his disgust.

"Easy" the man says, "I do it because Erishkigal commands it." Turning to Ron, he's holding a hypodermic syringe, "Now Ron, time to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." With that, he jabs Ron in the arm, and presses down the plunger, sending a greenish substance into Ron's blood. Ron tries to fight it, but it's a losing battle as he slips once more into sleep, this time with no dreams.

At the hotel.

Around 9 the next morning, there's an insistent knocking on the suite's door. Shego, Elizabeth and Thomas all look up from their breakfasts, first looking at each other, then at the door. Rising, Thomas goes to the door and opens it, stepping back when Kim comes in.

She looks more composed than she had the night before. Piercing Thomas with her bright green eyes, she says, "You will tell me everything you know"

"Hello Kimberly" Thomas says sardonically, then goes on, as if holding a conversation with himself. "Hi Mr. Goodwin. How are you? Oh I'm fine. Won't you come in?" Shaking his head, he leads her inside, muttering comments about young people and their lack of manners.

"Would you care for some breakfast?" he asks, sitting back down at his plate. Looking down at his food, he frowns at where his last slice of ham had been before he had left to answer the door, then glares at Elizabeth, who whistles innocently. Shrugging, Thomas takes his fork and stabs a slice of her bacon, shoving it in his mouth before she can protest the theft.

Kim slams her fist down on the table, rocking it as she says loudly, "My boyfriend has been kidnapped. He was tortured on live television last night. You say we're about to enter an age of darkness we may never come out of, and you sit here, stealing food and playing games with your daughter?!" Her voice had steadily risen as she spoke, until she was yelling that last part.

Shego is smirking as Thomas hides a grin behind his coffee cup. Setting the cup down, he schools his expression into blankness, then says, "Young lady, please sit down. I know you think I'm not taking this seriously. But I assure you, I am. I just see no need to cease doing things the way I normally do them. And right now, that means breakfast."

Kim sits down as told, and nods her head in thanks when Elizabeth slides a cup of coffee into her hands, "Mr. Goodwin, please. I just want Ron back."

"I know Kimberly" Thomas says, "And we will get him back. But you're right. I do owe you an explanation" The next half an hour is spent telling her what he had told Shego the night before.

Kim is silent for a long time after, absorbing all that information before she says in response, "Wow"

"Have you been in contact with Betty?" Thomas asks, to get the young woman's mind back on track.

Kim furrows her brow at that, saying, "Not since we left the warehouse last night," She then furrows her brow in confusion, "But Will Du was at our apartment. I went there to grab Rufus and bring him home to my parents. They are having me stay over until we get Ron back" When Thomas merely nods, she continues, "However, Will had Rufus himself. He told me that Rufus was needed for the investigation, and then he left."

Thomas nods, "I know. Rufus was affected by the same stones that gave Ron his mystical abilities. I mentioned that it might be possible to track Ron once Rufus' energy signature when he goes into full monkey mode has been analyzed. Or that Rufus may be able to follow their connection and find Ron on his own."

"So Ron could be found?" Kim asks, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

Thomas nods, smiling at the young woman, "Yes Kim. In fact, after breakfast, we were going to head to Global Justice and help them out." He gets a thoughtful expression, "Do you think Wade would be able to help? We could use his genius in this."

"I'll contact him right now" Kim says excitedly, reaching for her Kimmunicator. Finding it missing, her face falls, "I was in such a rush to get here, I left it at home"

Thomas smiles reassuringly, "It's ok Kim. There's a phone in the sitting room. Just through those doors" he adds, pointing to a set of double doors.

Kim says thanks, then goes where indicated. Once the doors shut behind her, Elizabeth looks at Thomas, "Should we be getting her hopes up Papa? What are the chances that Ronald is still sane? Heck, what are the odds he's even still alive? There have been no strikes since last night. What if it's because..." She stops speaking when her adopted father raises his hand for silence.

"Ron is far stronger than Martuk was. While what I said last night is a distinct possibility, Ron has reserves of will that even he doesn't know about. Hidden by that young man's clumsy oafish exterior is a rod of iron."

Looking at his daughter, he smiles at her, "Besides, He's Kim's love. She needs all the hope she can get to get through this herself."

* * *

AN: what did you think of the dream sequence? I must admit, that was the first time I ever wrote one. I hope I did it right. As always, read and review.


	13. Chapter 12

AN: I don't own anything from the show Kim Possible. Not the characters, not the organizations, not the locales. I own Thomas, Elizabeth, and the as yet unnamed villain.

Thanks go to my kind reviewers. Your words help keep me going. You are part of the reason I'm still doing this.

In this chapter, I mention a couple of defense industry companies. I intend in no way to denigrate their fine services to our men and women in the military, nor is any actual detail I give about them accurate in any way. Nor do I own them. Wish I did though. Then I'd be stinking filthy rich. Can I get a Booyah?

* * *

After breakfast, the three women accompany Thomas down to his limo. The driver takes them along a circuitous route, eventually ending up back in the factory district.

Looking out the window, Kim asks with a frown, "I thought we were going to Global Justice?"

"We are" Thomas says, "We're heading to one of the entrances now." The limo pulls to a stop in front of a nondescript factory, black smoke belching from the smokestacks on the roof, and Thomas gets out, holding the door open for the women.

Once he's closed the door, the limo pulls away, and Thomas puts his hands in his jacket's pockets and walks to the factory. Using an odd-looking key, he opens the door and holds it open until Elizabeth, Kim, and Shego have entered. Following them in, the door shuts behind him, locking automatically as he pockets his key.

Inside, the factor looks brand new, metal pressing machines operating smoothly, completely automated it appears, as there are no workers present, just robot arms moving pieces from machine to machine, skipping over one machine in the center, yellow caution tape around it. Thomas heads for that machine, sliding under tape and standing next to the machine. Elizabeth follows without hesitation, followed by Shego, who only hesitates for a moment. Kim takes a moment, looking around in confusion, "Shouldn't there be even a single worker to maintain the machines?" she asks as she hesitantly slips under the tape, moving to stand next to Elizabeth, on the opposite end from Shego.

"He's on break" Thomas says, grabbing a lever. Giving it a pull, he steps closer to the machine, as does everyone else when an engine whines, metal rattling. There's a sudden lurch, and the floor starts lowering. An elevator, disguised as a broken down machine, "Stay away from the edge" Thomas says as they drop beneath the factory floor, revealing a massive room, the floor at least 50 feet below. Men in GJ uniforms stand at the ready, fire-arms aimed at the elevator as it slowly descends.

With a loud metal clang, the elevator settles onto the floor, sinking until it's level. The soldiers aiming at the elevator focus their weapons on it's four occupants, a man with the insignia of a major approaching, "State your authorization," he barks out.

Thomas looks at Elizabeth with a smirk, "You want to? or should I?" he asks.

"Oh can I papa?" Elizabeth asks with a grin

"Be my guest," Thomas says with a bow, and waving his arm to encompass the soldiers

Elizabeth smiles even wider, then steps forward, "Authorization Omega 1 and Omega 2."

"And two guests," Thomas says, suppressing a laugh when the soldiers all snap to attention, and snap a salute.

"Sorry sir," the major says, holstering his gun, "We were told to expect you"

"Hell of a way to show it," Thomas says with a scowl. The major is about to speak when Thomas brushes past him, the three women following.

"This branch of Global Justice was founded a few years ago," Thomas says, " The whole Ron Factor thing was this branch's first major operation."

"If only they knew how close they came to figuring it out," he mutters.

"What are you talking about?" Shego asks, "Ron Factor?"

"Long story short, Global Justice believed Ron possessed some innate quality, pertaining to chaos theory, that enabled Kim to win as often as she did," Elizabeth says.

"They thought it was the buffoon that enabled Princess to win?" Shego asks, scoffing.

"Hey!" Kim says as Thomas shrugs.

"What did Kim do on the missions concerning you and Drakken?" Thomas asks.

"She fought me of course," Shego says

"And what did Ron do?" Elizabeth asks, father and daughter tag teaming Shego.

"He went around being the klutz and destroying things," Shego responds as if that was obvious.

"Exactly," Thomas says, "Ron was the one who destroyed the doomsday weapons. Ron was the one who hit the self-destruct switches. I dare say, despite what people thought, Kim here was the distraction, while Ron did the real work of stopping the villains a lot of the time."

"But..." Shego says, then thinks things over. Now that she thought about it, Ron had usually proven to be a greater threat to Drakken's plans than Kim. Smirking, she turns to Kim, ready to ride her about that, but stops when she sees Kim smiling proudly, glad that someone finally recognized Ron's efforts. Recognized that Ron wasn't the sidekick. That he had always been her partner, her equal.

"And must I remind you of Zorpox?" Thomas asks, looking at Shego, smirking when she shudders at that memory.

Before too long, Thomas leads them through a small door, entering what appears to be a conference table. A long table dominates the center of the room, 16 chairs surrounding the table. Most of the chairs are occupied with high ranking GJ personnel, Betty Director sitting at one end, Will Du next to her, with Rufus on the table before them. Monitors line the wall, most of the monitors showing news from various broadcasters, most of them shuffling between three locations of devastation. And on the center-most monitor is Wade

Thomas takes the chair on the other side of Betty Director, across from Will Du, who scowls when Shego sits next to Thomas, Elizabeth and Kim taking their seats elsewhere at the table. Once seated, Doctor Director slides a Kimmunicator towards Kim, who pockets it with a smile of thanks for Wade and Betty.

"What is she doing here?' Will asks, glaring at Shego.

"She's here because I want her here," Thomas says

"And who are you?" Will asks

"I'm the guy who outranks you," Thomas says, smiling serenely as Shego smirks

"Impossible," Will says, chest swelling in affront, "I am second in command of Global Justice. I answer only to Doctor Director."

"Which explains so much," Thomas says sardonically, "Capture any super-villains lately?" he asks Will sweetly.

"We just captured Professor Dementor," Will Du says.

"No. Kim, Shego, my daughter and I captured him," Thomas says, "Or rather, he surrendered to us when the first attack occurred. Speaking of which" he says, turning to Betty, who's been hiding a smirk behind her hand at the exchange, "I can assume by the video on the monitors, there was another attack?

Seeing she has Thomas' undivided attention, she straightens up and says, "At 0800 local time, London was hit by the weapon. Like Mumbai and Denver, all that remains is a crater."

"Damn," Thomas says, sinking into his seat, "London Proper? Or was the metro area affected as well?"

"London's entire metropolitan area, just like Denver and Mumbai," Betty says.

"Another 15 million," Elizabeth says, shoulders shaking in suppressed sobs.

"All the more reason to get started" Thomas says softly, watching as Kim comforts Elizabeth.

"Indeed," Betty Director says, looking at Rufus, who's looking around for Ron.

"Where Ron?" Rufus asks, looking at Kim.

"That's what we're hoping you can tell us Rufus" Thomas says. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a baggie of crumbled cheese and tosses it in front of Rufus, "I'm sure Will forgot to feed you this morning, so here. When you're ready, I'd like to ask your help"

"Okay" Rufus says, before tearing at the bag to get the cheese. Shego makes a face of disgust at how the naked rodent tears into the cheese, Elizabeth looking away as Thomas, Kim and Wade watch with amusement, Will and Betty looking on with detached professionalism.

When Rufus lays on his back, belly distended, stuffed full of cheese, Thomas asks, "You up for helping us find Ron?"

Rufus hops to his feet, nodding his head rapidly, "hnk Yeah yeah"

"Good" Thomas says, then looks around at everyone before looking once more at Rufus, "Ok little friend, we have two options here. The first involves just you. Ron and you received the same powers from the same source. I believe that may have created a link between you two. I also believe that you share the same link with Monkey Fist" to which Rufus growls. Thomas smiles and raises his hand, "However, I believe the connection is stronger between Ron and yourself for the simple fact that you two are friends."

Sliding open a panel on the thick table, he reveals a keyboard. Typing on it, a holographic globe appears above the table as he says, "I want you to focus on Ron. Picture him in your mind. Then focus on the globe and tell me which place feels best to you. Can you do that Rufus?"

"Hnk Try" Rufus squeaks out before he closes his eyes and starts breathing deeply. Everyone, except for Kim and Thomas, reacts when Rufus is suddenly surrounded by a bright blue glow and starts floating a few inches above the table.

"Can you feel him, Rufus?" Thomas asks. When Rufus nods, Thomas gives a sigh of relief and says, "Good. Now, focus on the map. Show us where your Ron is"

Rufus nods, annoyed by the human's voice. Just another, slightly more annoying, noise amidst the cacophony that is the Mystical Monkey Power. He focuses on that noise, millions of monkeys babbling, cooing, screeching in the back of his mind. Normally the voices are low enough that he can ignore them. Now, he focuses on them, listening for the one voice amongst the many. The one voice that was the most important. The voice that had brought him home on day all those years ago. The voice that fed him, treated him when he was sick. Gave him cheese. The voice of his human.

There. The voice is different, scared and in pain, and real faint, but he hears it now. Rising higher in the air, he rotates around the globe until he's facing North America, then points. Doctor Director opens her own panel, and changes the globe to a map of North America. When Rufus points again, she magnifies where he points, changing it to a map of Colorado.

It's there that Rufus frowns. Here it becomes difficult for him. He can hear his master, but in this spot there are many voices, begging to be heard. He manages to point one last time, Doctor Director zooming the map, showing Colorado Springs, Colorado. Suddenly tired, Rufus settles to the table, then immediately falls asleep. Kim reaches across to grab him, sliding him into an empty pouch of her utility belt.

"Ok, He's in Colorado Springs" Thomas says, "Which isn't much help"

Looking at Wade, he says, "Did you manage to analyze that?"

Wade nods and says, as he types on his computer, "Yes. While I cannot identify the energy, it is consistent with what Ron was releasing at the end of the Lorwardian invasion. I believe I can use it to trace Ron. it might take awhile though." He goes back to typing, then nods, "Got it. He's in the manufacturing district. Near the Northrop Grumman facility. Sending the coordinates now."

Kim looks at her Kimmunicator as Thomas and the others look at their own private screens which slide open, "How much did this table cost?' Shego asks as the space in front of her opens to reveal a built in monitor.

"About 50,000" Betty says, to which Shego whistles.

Looking at the monitor in front of her, Betty says, "That's the Lockheed Martin factory. It was closed down 6 months ago, due to an undisclosed accident that required the evacuation of the premises."

"Convenient" Thomas mutters, "Who wants to lay down money that there was indeed no actual accident? Or that if there was one, it wasn't actually an accident?"

"What would the Lockheed people have to gain by it though?" Betty asks, to which Thomas groans.

"It didn't have to be Lockheed that faked it" he says, "However, Lockheed's facilities are extremely advanced. If I remember my reports on them, they're about 20 years ahead of their time. Which makes sense as one of their board-members was the current Area 51's head's predecessor."

"Ah yes, General Johnson" Betty says, "He retired from military life when offered a lucrative deal to sit on the board of directors at Lockheed. The US government uses him as the military liaison for their defense contracts. I had heard rumors of a deal concerning alien tech."

"This is all very fascinating," Kim says, leaning forward, "But how does this help us bring Ron back?"

"You're right Kimberly" Thomas says, "Here's the plan. Doctor Director, I want Global Justice Forces to act as a diversion. Occupy any forces that may be present at the facilities. Kim, Shego, Rufus, and I will infiltrate the facilities after your main attack force. We will search out and rescue Ron. If anyone comes across the leader, try to capture him alive. Wade will coordinate the attack and the infiltration."

"I have heard enough" Will exclaims, rising to his feet, pushing Betty's hand off his shoulder when she tries to restrain him, "This is a Global Justice matter. We do not answer to amateurs. We will handle this matter ourselves" He's about to continue when he's suddenly stopped. Moving faster than anyone had seen, Thomas had leaped onto the table and his foot was now a couple inches away from Will Du's face.

"Listen here Du," Thomas says, his voice filled with menace, "I have dealt with your type before. The cocky soldier who thinks he should be in charge, despite the lack of any real qualifications. I have seen your type put in command, and I have seen your type buckle under the strain, putting their people under greater risk than necessary. We are doing this my way. If you have a problem with that, that's fine. But keep it to yourself. If you are unable to accept my orders, then I will have Doctor Director remove you from your command. And afterwards, I will make sure the most dangerous job you get will be cleaning toilets at the Global Justice Holding Facilities. Do I make myself clear?"

"You dare threaten a member of Global.." Will begins, but stops when Thomas' foot flexes, tapping Will on the nose and sending his face rocking back slightly. At a glance, it looks like a gentle tap, that Will had over-reacted to the contact, but after a moment, blood slowly leaks from Will Du's nose.

"Do I make myself clear?" Thomas asks again.

Betty places her hand on Will's arm, silently commanding him to sit. Looking at Thomas, she's scowling, "He gets the message. I'll thank you kindly to get off the table now"

He leaps off the table, then settles into his chair, "I'll leave the specifics of the GJ assault up to you Betty" he says, bowing his head to the Director.

"If everything is decided then?" Betty asks, rising. When everyone nods, she takes Will by the arm and leads him out of the conference room, whispering urgently to him, her expression indicating she's chewing him out.

Thomas watches them go, then turns back to the women in the room. He smiles at Kim and says, "Sorry you had to see that. I've fought in thousands of battles in my life. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a pompous solider who thinks he's better than his rank"

Giving a sigh, he says, "Let's start planning." Looking at Wade, he says, "Can you get the Lockheed blueprints up for us Wade? Please and Thank you."

At Kim's colloquialism, Wade shakes his head, but begins typing, muttering, "That was intense."

Once Wade has transmitted the blueprints, the 4 humans and the single naked mole rat in the room gather around a single monitor and start discussing plans.

* * *

AN; I know it seems like it's coming to an end, but I promise, I have more in store for this story. Stay tuned. And as always, please read and review.


	14. Chapter 13

AN: I don't own anything. Seriously. I'm flat broke. If I owned Kim Possible, I wouldn't be.

Thanks to my kind reviewers for their words. And sorry for the delay on this chapter. I actually finished it about 13 hours ago, but I wasn't able to log in to to upload it.

* * *

"Is everyone in place?" Thomas hisses into his headset. Kim, Shego, Elizabeth and Thomas are outside the Lockheed facilities, laying low in the brush at the edge of the facility's parking lot, waiting for GJ's forces to move into position.

"Blue team in place," comes the first in a series of affirmatives. 20 10 man teams are now surrounding the facility, waiting for Thomas' signal to begin the offensive.

Thomas looks at the women with him. His dark brown eyes, steeled in determination, meet two sets of green eyes, and one set of blue eyes, each equally determined, "Ready?" he asks in a low whisper. At their nods, he keys the mic on his headset and says, "Stick to the plan. Make as much noise as possible. If you come across the leader, try to take him alive. At my mark, move in."

He slides back the sleeve of his black sweatshirt, counting down the time. When he determines it's the right time, he says into his mic, "All teams, move in."

With that, 20 teams, nearly invisible in their urban camouflage, rise up and move towards the facility. Several seconds later, explosions rip through the air, shaped charges blowing doors off hinges, the soldiers moving through the smoke into the building, gunfire shortly following. Thomas counts off a full minute before he rises and starts moving towards the building ahead, the women following him, all four moving silently and keeping low to the ground, each wearing dark outfits.

"We stay together this time" Thomas whispers when they reach a vent leading inwards. Indicating the vent, he looks to Shego, who fires up her plasma and melts through the vent, allowing access. Thomas heads in first, followed by Elizabeth, Kim behind her, with Shego the last to crawl in.

"Have you gained weight Pumpkin?" Shego asks with a snicker, unable to resist.

Kim growls as Thomas shakes his head, "And here I thought we were supposed to be stealthy" he mutters as they move through the ventilation shaft.

After almost 20 minutes of crawling through the twists and turns of a very dusty ventilation system, they reach a large central room. Metal slats bolted to the floor indicates machinery that has been moved. Moved to make room for a steel beam about 8 feet above the floor. Hanging from the beam is Ron, unconscious, battered and bloody, wearing the weapon. Standing around him is about 50 men, including the leader, each of them armed. The henchmen are weaing some kind of leather biker outfits, sleek leather jackets, even motorcycle helmets that hide their faces.

"Damn it" Thomas mutters, then relays what he's seeing.

"So, let's go get them" Shego says in a whisper, "We can easily tear through them"

"And while we're fighting the henchmen, nothing is stopping the leader from slitting Ron's throat" Thomas whispers back. Shaking his head, he says, "No, we need a plan."

He scoots back, the others being forced back as he moves. Reaching a juncture, he pauses and says, "We need to divide them. Attack from multiple angles."

Looking between the women, he says, "Shego, Elizabeth and I will go in. Shego, you and Elizabeth will go for the henchmen, I'll go for the leader. Kim, you wait until the group is distracted, then you move in and go for Ron"  
Moving back to the vent, he looks around, then comes back to the group, "I'm heading up top. Wait for my signal before moving in." Looking at Kim, he says, "We have a limited amount of time. Only wait a few seconds before coming in."

When everyone nods, Thomas heads down another shaft.

As they wait, Kim pulls out Rufus and whispers something into his ear. When Rufus nods, she smiles and kisses the top of his bald head before sliding him back into the pouch. Looking at Shego, she has a look of determination. And for once, Shego doesn't make any smart remarks. She nods briefly to Kim, her eyes holding just as much determination. Elizabeth meanwhile, has slipped to the vent, watching for her father's signal.

Which comes about 5 minutes later, Thomas dropping from up above, landing in the midst of several of the henchmen. Grabbing two of them by their heads, he slams their heads together hard enough to shatter the helmets, then does a back hand to the face of another henchman, fist shattering the helmet. All three are dropping when Thomas moves, flipping up and over the largest mass of henchmen, heading for the apparent leader.

The moment Thomas hit the ground, Elizabeth and Shego are moving, the vent cover flying off as Shego and Elizabeth dive out. Hitting the ground, they roll forward, and start moving through the henchmen, Shego's green plasma doing just as much damage as Thomas' fists are, the henchmen's weapons about as useful as pillows against the three determined warriors.

Kim watches for a moment, taking the time to appreciate Shego's fighting style. Normally, she's on the receiving end of those moves, so she's never had the chance to actually watch Shego move. And she's impressed. Most superpowered beings fight like they depend on their superpowers. Not Shego though. Kim gets the impression that even were Shego to be without powers, she wouldn't be powerless.

Shaking her head, she crawls out of the vent, then starts running and flipping, kicking one or two henchmen that get in her way. Reaching Ron, she pulls out her laser lipstick and cuts Ron down, catching him before he hits the ground. Giving hima quick kiss on the lips, she whispers, "It's ok Ron. We're getting out of here"

"I don't think so" a cheerful voice says, a large body slamming into her, knocking her to the ground on top of Ron. Turning to look, she glares at the leader as she rises to her feet. Looking around, she gasps when she sees Thomas, laid out, his head twisted at an odd angle. Other than the broken neck, he seems fine, if a little upset. Elizabeth is standing over him, her fists and feet moving in a blur as she keeps the henchmen surrounding her at bay.

Turning back to the leader, she watches as he pulls a big thick blade from the sheath at his back, "Ooh. The cheerleader. I've heard a lot about you. I'm going to enjoy this"

"Not as much as I am" Kim growls, moving into a leaping kick, which the man ducks under, then slams a meaty fist into her gut.

"You don't get it do you?" he says, moving around her coughing form as she steadies herself. She snaps another kick at his head. This one, he catches and slams his fist into her knee. She grimaces and grunts as muscle gives way, "I was chosen for this task. I have the blessings of my goddess. I can't lose" He moves in, only to be forced back by a green fireball.

"Bless this" Shego snarls, rushing at him, plasma in full blaze, almost coming to her elbows.

"And the villain too?" he asks, still grinning, "Old Johnny boy is having a good day" Ducking under Shego's constant barrage of kicks, punches and fireballs, he laughs as he leaps back, landing next to a table.

Smiling, he picks up the Amulet of Alalus, which has been disconnected from the necklace. Waving the amulet, he smiles and says, "Can't say it's not been fun. But I gotta run. Toodles kiddos." He then whispers a single word, and in a blue flash of light, he's gone, abandoning his henchmen, who surrender immediately when Global Justice finally manages to break into the room.

Medics immediately follow, loading Ron onto a gurney and taking him out, Kim following beside him, never releasing his hand.

When the medics try to load Thomas onto a gurney, he growls and says, "Back off." Paralyzed, he rolls his eyes at Elizabeth, "You know what needs to be done hun"

With a steady nod, she kneels next to him, then brushes his hair out of his eyes before kissing his forehead, "Forgive me Papa" she murmurs before gripping his head in her two dainty hands, then begins twisting Thomas' neck, straightening it out. Those that surround them wince as bones grind against each other.

Once his head is straightened, she rises to her feet gracefully, then stands back, watching Thomas with concern. After a moment, Thomas' eyes widen, his face a rictus of agony as his muscles tighten, his feet and hands rapidly drumming against the floor as severed nerves repair themselves, bones sliding into their correct position and healing. He opens his mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. After what seems an eternity, he relaxes, and slowly rises to his feet, hand on his neck, massaging it as he bends and turns his head in several angles, "Man, I never get used to that" he mutters.

When Doctor Director comes in, she heads straight for Thomas, "What happened?' she asks, "Where is he?"

"He teleported out" he says, "He grabbed the Amulet of Alalus and teleported out"

"Teleportation is impossible" Doctor Director says, "We've done experiments in it. The best we've managed is individual atoms"

"That's science" Thomas says, heading for the exit, "Magic obeys different laws"

Taking one last look around of the building, he says, "We have not seen the last of him."

* * *

AN: so what did you think? I'm not very good at combat scenes, so I hoped I did all right. Next chapter, answers are provided. And Ron wakes up.


	15. Chapter 14

AN: I do not own Kim Possible or any of the characters of the show. They belong to Disney. I do own Thomas, Elizabeth, and John Walker.

Thanks to my kind reviewers once more.

* * *

"Did that guy seem familiar?" Thomas asks Elizabeth as they head from the limo to the factory where the entrance to GJ is hidden.

"He did look familiar" she agrees, thinking about it. She then stops and exclaims, "He's the troll that hit on me about 7 years ago. The little pervert!"

"Thought so" Thomas says as the elevator goes down.

"You know the guy who kidnapped Ron?" Betty asks, looking between them.

Thomas nods, "Yeah. John Walker. He's a mercenary. Small time stuff. Usually hired by individuals or small Third World Countries. The US looked into hiring him, but after evaluating his psych files, they deemed him to be too unstable."

Elizabeth shook her head, grimacing in distaste "Idiot pinched my rear and whispered horrible things to me. Thought because we're in the same line of work, that I'd be turned on"

"So when did he go supervillian?" Betty asks, "And why wasn't I informed of him?"

"Because he disappeared 5 years ago. We assumed he'd been killed in some mission" Elizabeth says, looking at her father in concern when he winces and rubs the back of his neck, "You ok Papa?"

"Yeah" Thomas says, "Still some nerve damage that's healing. I'll be feeling twinges the rest of the night and part of tomorrow"

"What happened?" Betty asks, looking at Thomas

"One of his goons got in a lucky shot" he says, "When I went to take care of him, John snapped my neck.Lucky for me, he didn't take the time to finish me off. Probably didn't realize I'd heal from it."

"Where did he learn to fight like that papa?" she asks, "When he hit on me, I kneed him in the crotch and he went down. This time, he managed to take on you, Kim, and Shego. And hold his own."

"I don't know acushla" he murmurs, his mind on that exact thing already, "I have 4,000 years of training, I trained you, Kim knows 16 styles of Kung Fu, and Shego is my family. Any one of us should have been able to beat him, no problem" He shakes his head, "5 years isn't enough time to get that good"

"Could it be magic?" Doctor Director asks.

"It might be" Thomas says, "Ron is instinctively a master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar because of his mystical monkey powers, so I guess it's possible. Other than Ron though, I've never heard of it."

Reaching Betty's office, she moves to open the door, only to be interrupted by a blaring alarm, the lights flashing red. Over the intercom, a female voice says loudly, "Emergency in Sector 5! Emergency in Sector 5! All available agents to Sector 5!"

"That's the medical sector" Betty declares, breaking into a run, Thomas and Elizabeth following.

Bursting through the swinging doors that lead to the medical wing, all three skid to a stop at the sight before them. Surrounded by 30 GJ agents pointing guns at him is a wild eyed Ron, Kim's unconscious body behind him. Gripped tightly in his hands is the Lotus blade, aimed menacingly at Will Du. Sheer fury emanates from Ron as he bellows, "You will not hurt her"

"Now Ronald" Betty says, working her way through the group, "We have no intention of hurting her. But we would like to help her. Now, if you'll just put the sword-"

"Stay Back!" Ron yells, swinging the sword about.

"Stay back Betty" Thomas says quietly, watching Ron, "He isn't seeing you. He's still stuck in Lockheed in his mind. Anything we say or do will be sucked into his nightmare."

"Well, how do we wake him up?" Betty asks.

"It's not that simple." Thomas says, "He is awake, but his mind refuses to leave what happened to him."

"That's wonderful and all" Will says from beside Betty, "But we need to stop him" With that, he takes aim with his watch, ready to fire the tazer at Ron. He doesn't get the chance before a fist slams into his skull, and he crumples to the ground, unconscious.

In shock, Betty turns, finding Thomas right next to her, having slipped through the crowded hall with little effort "Was that necessary?" she asks.

"It kept him from shooting Ron didn't it?" Thomas says, rubbing his knuckles with his other hand, eyes never leaving Ron, "Besides. It felt really good"

"Clear the hallway" he says, moving towards Ron, keeping his hands exposed and making slow non-threatening movements.

"Easy Ron" he says, lifting his hands in the universal gesture of surrender, "We're here to help you"

"Stay back!" Ron yells, making a stabbing motion, tears running down his face, "Stay back! I won't let you cut her!" With a yell, Ron rushes Thomas, the sword shifting to a massive warhammer. He brings it down, ready to slam it into Thomas' head. He's moving too fast, Thomas unable to move out of the way, as everyone turns away, expecting to hear metal crunching bone.

But no such noise occurs. Slowly opening a single eye, Shego sees Ron's muscles straining, trying to bash Thomas' skull in, bringing the hammer up and slamming it down, time and time again. However, the hammer cannot touch Thomas. Something stops it an inch away from striking him. Giving a yell, Ron changes it back to a sword, and tries to run Thomas through, but again, the sword won't touch Thomas.

"Had enough?" Thomas asks after Ron's gone through several weapons, including a pair of nunchukas, which stops their swing just like the other weapons, an inch away from hitting Thomas.  
Thomas then strikes, his hand moving in a blur as he strikes several spots on Ron's body, hitting his pressure points. The Lotus blade falls out of his suddenly numb grip, disappearing with a faint pop before it hits the ground, as his eyes roll into the back of his head and he slumps, Thomas catching him before he can hit the floor.

Gently easing him down, Thomas goes to check on Kim.

"What happened?" Betty asks, turning to one of the doctors.

The doctor cleared his throat, "Well, umm. We were bringing Ronald in for observation. Nurse Jenkins" pointing to a young pretty nurse, "Saw Kimberly had some bruising. When she tried to have Kim be checked out, Ronald came to and started attacking."

"So why is Kim unconscious?" she asks

"She ah.. she tried to calm Ron down and he lashed out. It was an accident I believe. It was like he wasn't seeing anything."

"He wasn't" Kim says groggily, smiling at Thomas when he helps her sit up, "Ron was freaking. Majorly." She shakes her head, "He was thrashing out, and I... I got in the way."

Betty looks at Kim shrewdly, then shrugs, deciding to accept that for now, "And how did the sword get in here?"

Thomas smiles, "It got in here because Ron wanted it. Simple as that."

"And why didn't it hurt you?" Betty asks, looking at Thomas.

He shrugs and says, "Because it trusts me."

"Excuse me? Say that again?" Betty asks, "The sword trusts you?"

"Yes" Thomas says, rising to his feet, then helping Kim up, "I was there when it was forged after all."

Before anyone could ask him what he's talking about, he says, "Get him ready. I'm taking him to Japan. Kim, Shego, you two will come as well"

* * *

AN: What a strange revelation huh? Whatever could he mean? Yeah yeah, some of you know. Next chapter, more flashbacks. As always, Read and Review.


	16. Chapter 15

AN: I don't own Toshimiru, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Shego, Master Sensei, or Yamanouchi. Although, how does one go about buying a secret ninja school?

Thanks to everyone for their reviews.

* * *

It takes a couple hours to get Ron loaded onto the plane. Most of that time is spent arguing with Betty Director, then having her argue with the head of the medical staff, all to get Ron out of the building.

As they approach the plane, painted black with a solid blue diagonal stripe running along both sides of the body, Shego gives a slight whistle, "A Cessna Citation. Columbus right?"

Elizabeth nods, neither Kim nor Thomas paying attention to the conversation, both focused on Ron, who's strapped to a gurney, restrained as he's been thrashing about every so often, sedatives wearing off faster than they should.

"Amazing. They just unveiled it back in February. How'd you get a hold of one so soon?" Shego says.

Elizabeth shrugs and says distractedly, "Papa had one back-ordered back when they were first announced back in '06."

"Sweet" Shego says, then moves to get into the plane first, making her way up to the cabin.

After getting Ron's gurney strapped down, and securing the IV with a steady supply of sedative to keep him asleep, everyone else takes their seats, Shego joining them, a scowl on her face, "Your pilot booted me out of the cabin" she tells Thomas.

Thomas chuckles, "He prefers being alone. He's one of the best pilots in the world though, so I let him fly alone"

As a young woman passes out drinks to everyone, Thomas leans back in his recliner and closes his eyes, preparing to take a nap.

He's interrupted though, by Kim, who says, "You said something back there. About how the sword trusts you. What was that about?"

Thomas opens his eyes and looks at Kim, "It has to do with my time in Asia. And the reason for being there."

"People have asked me time and time again, when did I realize that I was immortal? That's a tough question to answer. The realization that I was immortal ties into the events that started me on this road. The time I fell out of the tree suggested the possibility. The day the Assyrians beat me and then destroyed my village almost confirmed it. It at least confirmed that it would take a lot to kill me."

"As for the lack of aging, I think my anger blinded me to it. Normally, I think I should have realized it by the time I was at the oldest, 50. Perhaps, if the Assyrians hadn't wiped out my village, and my desire for revenge hadn't forced me to keep on the move, I would have. But I was on the move so much, and rarely returned to the same place once I left, that I had no frame of reference. I never saw people aging around me. So it took a long time before my lack of aging finally sunk in."

Sitting up, Thomas sips his drink, then continues, "Now that I think on it, I do remember a moment when I finally did realize I wasn't aging. I was with the Kizzuwatnan army. The Assyrians had been making advances on their northern borders. I had presented myself before the king Pilliya. Impressed, he sent me to stand with his border soldiers."

"One day, we were doing patrols..."

_"Zipani, come look" Hantili, the commander of the border patrol Zipani had been sent to join, says._

_Zipani, after one look around the desert scrub-land surrounding them, jogs over to the commander, "What is it?" he asks, having to look up as Hantili stood a head taller._

_Hantili points off to the distance, indicating a curl of smoke ahead, "That isn't one of ours. We're the only ones who are supposed to be in the area. Take two men with you and investigate" Giving Zipani a stern look, he says, "You are to look only. No attacking them"_

_"What if they're Assyrian?" Zipani asks with a scowl_

_"Especially if they're Assyrian" Hantili says. Jabbing a finger into Zipani's chest, he says, "I don't know your story, but your hatred of the Assyrians has gotten around. Attack them and if we live through the assault, I'll have you bound and gagged, then shipped back to Kizzuwatna to face charges."_

_"Yes sir" Zipani says, snapping a salute and jogging back to the camp to grab two of the soldiers. Only once facing away from the commander does Zipani allow a grimace to cross his face. How dare that commander tell him what to do? He was here to kill Assyrians after all. Why else send him out here?_

_The next day, Zipani, along with two other soldiers, head for the smoke curling above the horizon. The smoke was deceptive. What was thought less than a couple hours walk, soon turned into several hours. By sunset that night, the small party made camp in some ruins. The two soldiers with Zipani quickly made a fire and laid down next to it and were soon asleep._

_Zipani however, could not sleep. Ever since they had come to the ruins, he had been nagged by an odd sense of recognition. As such, he could not sleep. He spent the night walking around. Only when the full moon was directly overhead did he finally recognize the place. Heart hammering in his chest, he slowly spun around, a silent plea of negation on his lips. Spotting a small pile of sand off to one side against a pile of rocks that had once been the wall of a small house, he makes his way to the pile. Kneeling, he brushes the sand away, and gasps. Reaching down, he lifts up a beaded necklace, the colored stones gleaming faintly in the competing lights of the fire and the moon. He brushes his fingers against the shells and moons, the shells painted with faded icons indicating the necklace of a priest.  
I swear by the Gods that I will find you Muwatti. I will find you and avenge our son's death._

_Giving a strangled sob, he turns around and runs to a small hut set against the eastern edge of the village. The wood roof had rotted away, and one of the walls had fallen completely, another well on it's way to join the first. Stepping inside, he moves to the far end, spotting a small wooden chest, the wood remarkably well preserved._

_He doesn't open the chest, afraid to look inside. Instead, he brushes his hand against the lid of the chest, letting hot tears flow down his cheeks, falling to the sand beneath him unhindered._

"I didn't have to ask anyone about the ruins. I knew where I was. But something in me demanded I had to know for sure. So I asked Hantili about the ruins when we got back two days later. Considering that the campfire we had sen was no more than a trading caravan, and I didn't go berserk, Hantili was only too glad to talk to me about it. And he confirmed it. The village was indeed my home village. Wiped out and abandoned 300 years previously" Thomas says, pausing to get a refill on his drink.

"It finally sunk in. I was as good as truly immortal. I could be hurt, but as far as I knew then, I could not be killed. It seemed not even Time had any power over me. Not even the realization that my wife must have been dead hadn't hit me that hard. After all, I could avenge her death. Who was to blame for my immortality? Who could I swear vengeance against? With no-one to blame, the emotions could go nowhere but inward."

"And even though it took another 1500 years, I suppose that was when my desire for vengeance slowly started dying. What is vengeance and hatred when compared to eternity? Where once, not even the youngest of Assyrian children would survive an encounter with me, I started becoming lenient."

"One day, I saw an Assyrian woman and her children. I had already killed her husband, right outside her home. She must have heard the strike. Such fear in her children's eyes. Yet all I saw in her eyes was sorrow. And for the first time, I saw what I had become. I had become as bad as the ones who had set this path before me. After that, while I still killed Assyrian men, I never struck another Assyrian woman or child. Starting with her and her children, I let them live."

"But while it started 300 years into my quest, it took another 1500 years or so until it was completely gone. I had lived hundreds of lifetimes in anger and hate. After awhile, I couldn't feel it any more. I spent over a century just going through the motions before even that faded."

"So I made my way out of Anatolia. I couldn't face what I had done. Thousands slaughtered at my hands, all for the actions of 50. Ashamed, I fled to new lands. I didn't stop until I had reached the coast of a different land, where the people were as different from me as night is from day. I wandered the coasts of that new land for over a century before I was found..."

_"This way renxiong(1)," the young boy says, tugging on the hand of the young man to hurry his elder brother up._

_"Slow down Dewei" Toshimiru says, chuckling, "Whatever it is you've found will still be there whether we run or walk."_

_"Not likely" the boy says, "It's a strange looking man."_

_"A strange looking man?" Toshimiru asks, knowing that, most likely, his little brother is just playing pranks again. He's come to expect such things. Ever since the death of their parents a year prior, Dewei had become more exuberant towards his brother. He followed the young man everywhere, wanting to play games and the occasional prank.  
Toshimiru understands that it's because the young boy blames himself for his parents' death, although there was nothing he could have done. He blames himself because he had been out playing with friends. Dewei apparently thinks that if he had stayed home, he could have prevented the fire that burned the hut down._

_Giving a sigh, Toshimiru makes a promise to the spirits to talk with Dewei about things. For now though, he figures he should ease the young boy's mind and investigate the "strange looking man"._

_After cutting through the rice paddy, Dewei leads his older brother down to the beach, talking excitedly, "I was collecting shells and I came across him. He looks in bad shape. Think we can help him?" Toshimiru just shaking his head in how far his little brother is willing to go for a joke._

_Once they reach the beach, Dewei gets more excited, pointing to a dark lump in the sand near the water, "There Toshimiru" he says excitedly, running towards the lump, Toshimiru, now concerned, following close behind. "Easy Dewei" he says, "Be careful"_

_Once they arrive, it's apparent Dewei wasn't joking. Tangled in the seaweed is a light skinned man, musclular, with dark hair. His eyes are closed, the man grimacing in pain. The reason why is obvious. Across his face and part of his chest are a series of red welts._

_"Get to the village Dewei" Toshimiru says, kneeling next to the strange looking man, "Get some help. This man has been stung by jellyfish." As Dewei runs off to get help, Toshimiru quickly removes the seaweed, murmuring soothing words to keep the man calm. Once the seaweed is cleared, Toshimiru looks over the man, "What strange clothing" he murmurs, looking over the loose flowing silk and cotton garments the man is wearing, totally unlike the coarse material of Toshimiru's clothing, Where do you hail from?" he asks._

_Suddenly the man starts thrashing, yelling in a strange tongue, Toshimiru struggling to restrain the man, "Calm down my friend" he says, "I'm trying to help you."_

_Knowing it's more exhaustion than his words, Toshimiru sighs in relief anyways as the man gives a sigh and stops thrashing about._

_After a few minutes, voices can be heard as several men approach. Once they arrive, Toshimiru sets them to work, lifting the stranger and carrying him to his hut in the center of the village. Once there, Toshimiru, in his role as village healer and mystic, has his brother get some vinegar and some oil. After Dewei brings the required items, Toshimiru gets to work._

_Starting with the vinegar, he pours most of it on the man's chest, then dabs a towel with the vinegar and gently applies it to the welts on the man's face. After the vinegar is gently wiped away, Toshimiru uses a pair of copper tweezers and sets to work to remove the pieces of tentacles that remain attached to the man's body and face. That takes about five minutes, and when he's removed the pieces he can, he applies oil to the welts, and using a flat rock, scrapes the oil off, the stingers too small to be gripped by the tweezers sloughing off with the oil. Once done with that, he takes some natron (2). After grinding it up, he mixes it up with fresh water and makes a thick paste out of it. Applying it to the welts, he then takes thin strips of cloth and binds the welts. (3)_

_With the man still unconscious, Toshimiru ushers everyone out of the hut and goes about his day, returning to reapply the natron paste every so often._

Thomas looks like he's about to continue when the stewardess comes and whispers in his ear. Thomas nods at her, then looks around, "We're making our final approach to Chubu International Airport" he says, "Once there, we'll take my helicopter to Yamanouchi"

An hour later, they're making their way onto a helicopter, Rom being tied down once more before the helicopter lifts off.

Speaking into his headset, Thomas says, "Every person has at least one moment in their life, which they can look back upon and say "That is where my life changed on a fundamental level" Be it good or bad. I've had several. The day I fell out of the tree when I was 10 is my first. Meeting Muwatti was the second. The Assyrian attack on my village was the third. My return to the village 300 years later. And quite possibly the greatest change was the day I met Toshimiru. Everything that has happened to me since can be directly attributed to that chance encounter on that beach."

_"I see you are awake" Toshimiru says, entering the hut he shared with his little brother, "Hope you're hungry" he says, presenting a bowl of some kind of cabbage soup._

_The strange man looks blankly at the bowl, then looks at Toshimiru, an eyebrow raised as if asking what is in the bowl. Toshimiru laughs and sets the bowl down on a low table, then moves to help the strange man to the table, "It's cabbage stew. Quite delicious." Once the man is seated before the bowl, Toshimiru hands him a wooden spoon, saying, "Forgive the meager accommodations. I am just a student of the Tao"_

_"Dow?" the strange man asks, trying to shape the words_

_"Yes Tao" Toshimiru says, "I think we should save that lesson for when you can understand my words though." Noting the blank look on the stranger's face, Toshimiru chuckles._

_Pointing to himself, he says, "Toshimiru" He points to himself again and repeats himself, then points at the man. The man watches Toshimiru, then when pointed at, he says, "Zipani"_

_"Nice to meet you Zipani" Toshimiru says, then proceeds to teach Zipani how to speak his language, he himself learning to speak Zipani's language._

Smiling fondly at the memories, Thomas says, "It took several months before we were able to even hold a simple conversation. And months beyond that where I could consider myself fluent. In that time, Toshimiru and I became close friends. I can't explain it, but there was something about Toshimiru. Some quality I could not name that made me trust him. So when I felt I could convey the concepts properly, we sat down in his hut and I told him everything. I told him of everything that had happened ever since I fell out of that tree over a millennium previously."

"I was expecting almost any reaction. Laughter, derision. Expected him to call me a madman and banish me from his village. I expected everything except for what happened."

I was expecting almost any reaction. Laughter, derision. Expected him to call me a madman and banish me from his village. I expected everything except for what happened.

_After Zipani finishes his tale, Toshimiru sits there in silence. After five minutes pass with no response, Zipani begins to fidget nervously. "Toshimiru?" he asks softly.  
At his name spoken, Toshimiru blinks and looks at Zipani with a sad smile, "What a sad tale my friend" he says, "I am sorry you had to go through that."_

_He doesn't speak for a few minutes, continuing to process what he was told. He then smiles at Zipani and says, "Come with me my friend. I must show you something"_

_Leaving the hut, Zipani following, Toshimiru walks north of the village, eventually coming to a cleared area. Standing in the middle of the clearing, he says, "The concept you consider time is what we call Shi. Confucius once said, while next to a river, 'It is what passes like that, indeed, not ceasing day or night' . He was saying that time is a river, always flowing"_

_Zipani nods, "Alright. I think I understand that, but..." He stops when Toshimiru raises a hand, "You, however, are the mountain. I am not referring to just the physical strength that you have demonstrated, which is impressive in it's own right" referring to a few days ago when Zipani had lifted a boulder many times his own weight to show off, "I am referring to how you remain unchanged. All beings are affected by time. Most of us age and weaken. But not you. While we are clay against the river, you are rock."_

_Zipani nods and waits for Toshimiru to continue, which he does after sitting and assuming a lotus position, "However, even the mountain cannot stand against the river forever. While you may not age, the river has changed you. Shaped you into the man you are today. A man haunted by memories and deeds of the past."_

_"That's kind of obvious" Zipani says with a chuckle, kneeling next to Toshimiru._

_Toshimiru smirks and says, "You need to learn to be like the tree. Right now, you are hard and unyielding. A strong enough push and you will snap. Look to the tree. No matter how strong the wind gets, the tree does not fall. It bends and sways, and when the wind dies, the tree remains"_

_"How did we get from mountains and rivers to trees and the wind?" Zipani asks, shaking his head in amusement._

_"They are related concepts" Toshimiru says, "The river and wind both flow, while the tree and the mountain do not. Yet the tree bends. It does not break under pressure."_

_"WHy are you telling me this anyways?" Zipani asks_

_"Because I wish to teach you to be like the tree" Toshimiru says, "You are a good man" he raises his hand to forestall Zipani's disagreement, "You are a good man that has faced difficult and trying times. You have lived far longer than anyone has a right to expect. And right now, you are on a path that will lead to your inevitable destruction. I cannot allow that. You are my friend and I wish for you to be at peace with yourself."_

"And with those words, his lessons began. There were times, when I despised him. He made me face my memories. Forced me to face the ones who I killed in my desire for vengeance. I swore at him. I cursed him and his lineage. Despite that, he never wavered in his lessons. And in time, I learned those lessons. He amazed me to be honest. I had lived for almost two thousand years, while he was barely 35. Yet he was far wiser than any I had ever met. He set me on the path of Tao, and I will be forever grateful to him for that."

Looking out the window, he says, "I'm sorry I don't have time to say more" Pointing to a very familiar mountain, he says, "We're here"

Even Ron, unconscious as he is, seems to feel the place. He gives a sigh and relaxes, whatever nightmares plaguing him ceasing.

As they come in for a landing, people come out of the stone and wood buildings, students and teachers, surrounding the landing pad, the advanced students and teachers with weapons. Opening the door of the helicopter, Thomas steps out and begins speaking Japanese. An elderly woman responds, and he speaks again. After a moment, the crowd parts and Master Sensei steps out of the group. Spotting Thomas, Sensei smiles and bows, the others surrounding him following suit. Thomas bows in return, then speaks again, this time in English, "I have the Chosen One. He needs help that only Yamanouchi can give".

"Of course" Master Sensei says, then indicates the helicopter. Immediately, several students break from the group and enter the helicopter, coming back out with Ron, Kim following anxiously behind as they take him to a small hut set apart from the others.

"Come on Shego" Thomas says, walking towards one of the larger buildings, "You hungry?"

"Famished" Shego says, looking around, "Nice place. You know, I thought I knew all the martial arts schools around"

"It's a secret ninja school" Thomas says with a smirk, "Keyword, Secret. And they really know how to keep their secrets. Now come on, I smell food this way"

Bemused, Shego follows, promising herself to ask about Thomas' connections to this place.

* * *

AN: I have more, but I think this is enough to digest for this chapter. Next chapter, Ron wakes up. And even more flashbacks.

1. I may have that one wrong. renxiong is a Chinese honorific that means you, my kind older brother. If I do have it wrong, let me know and I will fix it.  
2. Natron is a naturally occuring mixture of sodium carbon decahydrate. In layman's terms, it's soda ash.  
3. Replace oil with shaving cream, and natron with baking soda (natron is pretty much just a naturally occuring form of baking soda), and you have the actual recommended treatment of jellyfish stings, except for Portuguese Man O' War stings. There's a different treatment method for that. Read my stories and you may just learn a thing or two.


	17. Chapter 16

AN: Sorry for the delay. Things came up that I had to take care of, then I got hit by major writer's block. Thanks to my loyal readers for their patience, and thanks for the kind reviews.

I own Thomas, Elizabeth, and John Walker. Disney owns the others.

On a side note, I'm gonna try something slightly different. Non-story text will still be divided by the dividing line, and flash-backs will still be in italics, but I'm gonna start using AAAAAAAAAAA for scene changes. Let me know how it looks.

One final note. Considering that had I not been hit with writer's block, I would have finished this story months ago, I am going to give the answer to the cultural references at the end of this chapter. You've all waited long enough.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Shego asks softly as she pushes the shoji door (1) aside to step into the room where Kim is kneeling on the tatami mats (2) that make up the floor of the room. The room is bare, a small bed, little more than a mat, on the floor, thin paper walls, called fusuma,, murals of fantastical beasts done in watercolors on the walls.

On the bed is Ron, naked but for a thin blanket pulled up to his chin, tucked tightly under the mat, acting as restraints. Next to the bed, kneeling on the floor, wet cloth in hand to dab at Ron's sweaty forehead, is Kim.

"He's still having nightmares," Kim murmurs softly, voice hoarse from nights spent crying herself to sleep.

Kneeling on the floor next to Kim, Shego places her hand on Kim's shoulder, an uncharacteristic gesture of sympathy, "He'll pull through," she says.

They sit together in silence, watching Ron sleep. Occasionally, Ron would mutter incoherently, thrashing side to side, in the throes of one nightmare or another. At those times, Kim would reach out and stroke Ron's forehead, murmuring softly. As if sensing her presence, Ron would then calm down, slipping into dreamless sleep once more.

"Did you get a hold of Drakken?" Kim asks out of the blue, causing Shego to blink in confusion.

"Drakken?" she asks, then nods, "Yeah, I did. He's at the lair. Says he's well into his planning for taking over the world"

"Drinking coco moo and baking cookies?" Kim asks with a slight smirk.

Shego's smirk is full blown as she says, "Of course."

In the three days they had been at Yamanouchi, Kim and Shego, while not exactly friends, had made a sort of peace between themselves. At least, while on the sacred mountain. The return to civilization might change all that. But for now, they had an understanding.

"Can I have chocolate chip?" Ron asks in a hoarse voice, surprising them both.

"Ron!" Kim exclaims, laughing and crying as she wraps him in a tight hug, Shego staying back and smiling.

"What did I miss?" Ron asks, returning Kim's hug weakly.

"You've been out for awhile," Kim says as Shego leaves, ostensibly to tell Master Sesnei that Ron was awake, but also to give the teen lovers some privacy.

"Really?" Ron asks, "What happened?"

Kim opens her mouth to answer, only to turn when the sliding door opens, Thomas entering and immediately bowing to Ron, "It is good to see you awake Ron. We've been worried about you."

"Thank you," Ron says, looking between Thomas and Kim, "Umm, what happened?"

"What do you remember?" Thomas asks as Master Sensei enters the small room.

Ron bows his head to Master Sensei, then looks at Kim as he starts to speak, only to start coughing. Kim grabs a cup of crushed ice from a low table next to the bed and after Ron drinks from it, he clears his throat and begins speaking, "We-We were at the party. Some guy sprayed my face with some kind of powder" He lays down and stares at the ceiling, then curls into a ball and starts shuddering, "Knives, pain. Blood and screams," he whispers as Kim crawls onto the bed next to him and pulls him into her arms.

"Oh Ron, I am so sorry" Kim murmurs, stroking his hair softly as the others watch.

Thomas watches for only a few moments, then steps out of the small hut, heading towards the main area to watch the newer students practice. A few minutes later, he says, "His mind won't let him relive the experience."

"Indeed", Master Sensei says, hiding his surprise that Thomas had sensed his approach.

"Normally, I'd let it go. Let his mind heal naturally alongside his body," Thomas continues, watching two of the students spar, "But we don't have that luxury. John has the Amulet of Alalus. We need to know if Ron knows what he plans to do with the Amulet."

"I thought the Amulet is harmless without the rest of the pieces of the weapon," Shego says, joining them in watching the students.

"I never said that," Thomas says, "Each piece of the weapon has a specific role. The anklets, bracelets and crown draw the mystic's energy, sending it to the amulet, which focuses and directs the energy to the staff. But the staff is not needed. Nor are the other pieces. If he found a way to draw energy into the amulet, it could be used by itself. It would not be as powerful without the other pieces, but it's still dangerous. Plus, it's still a key to a massive treasure."

"So the treasure actually exists?" Shego asks.

Thomas nods, "Yes. The treasure exists. A tomb, buried deep beneath the desert. The amulet will open the doors leading to it."

"Do you know where the treasure is?" Shego asks.

"I used to," Thomas says, "But maps have changed since I designed the lock, as has the desert."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

As Thomas, Shego and Master Sensei talk, Kim curls up with Ron, continuing to hold him close, stroking his hair as Ron buries his face in her midsection, inhaling her scent. He barely remembered what had happened, but when he was holding Kim, it didn't matter. Although he was wondering one thing.

"Why are we at Yamanouchi?" he asks, turning slightly to look up at Kim.

Kim smiles and kisses her lover's forehead, "Thomas brought us here."

"But why?" Ronald asks

"Because the people here are amongst the best at what is required," Thomas says, sliding the shoji door open and stepping into the hut Kneeling next to the two, he looks at Ron in concern, "You went through a tought time. Your spirit was damaged. The people here will help you heal."

Ron nods and goes back to holding Kim tightly.

"I have some questions that need to be answered, "Thomas says, "But they can wait till after dinner tonight. Get some rest Ronald. You too Kim." The, rising to his feet, he gives a bow to them both and leaves, sliding the shoji door shut behind him. He stops when he sees Master Sensie looking at him, consern etched in the elder's face.

Giving a sigh, Thomas shakes his head, "I couldn't ask. They both looked like they were ready to pass out. I'll talk to them after dinner tonight. Make sure they aren't disturbed until then."

Master Sensei nods, and with a wave of his hand, several ninjas appear, only to disappear once they assume posts around Kim and Ron's hut. Inside, the two lovers rearrange themselves on the small bed, Ron curling up into a ball, Kim spooning him and wrapping her arms around him. Moments later, both are deep asleep.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A flash of blue light, and John Walker appears on the top floor of the largest office building in Go City. Whistling a merry little tune, he takes the Amulet of Alulu from his pocket and tosses it on the chocolate and cherry double pedestal executive desk, a black leather chair behind the desk turned towards the bay window that overlooks downtown Go City, one of the walls dominated by a large bookshelf, a fireplace on the wall across from it, two dark blue fabric recliners sitting before the fireplace.

Sitting in the leather chair, he leans back, putting his hands behind his head and smiling up at the ceiling as the door opens and a medium set man with dark hair and light eyes enters. Closing the door behind himself, he gives John a bow and says, "I'm sorry for letting you down sir. It won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it," John says, waving his hand dismissively, "We accomplished our goal."

"Which was what, sir?" the man asks.

Picking the amulet up, John twirls it between his fingers as he says, "We got their attention"

"If I may ask sir," the henchman says, "How is having their attention a good thing?"

"Simple Henry," John says, "I destroyed 3 cities and tortured one of them. Very blunt actions. Which is what they'll be looking for. Play our cards right, and the success of our true objective will slip right under their noses. Like how a broken bone makes you forget you have a headache."

* * *

1. In traditional Japanese architecture, shoji is a door, window or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood or bamboo. Shoji doors are designed to slide open, and thus conserve space that would be required by a swinging door. Conserving space is a major consideration in building in Japan, where there are 872 people per square mile, and in Tokyo, an estimated 5796 people per square kilometer.

2. Tatami mats are a traditional type of Japanese flooring made of woven soft rush straw, and traditionally packed with rice straw, although nowadays styrofoam is also used. There are various rules concerning the number and layout of tatami mats; an inauspicious layout is said to bring bad fortune. In homes, the mats must not be laid in a grid pattern, and in any layout there is never a point where the corners of three or four mats touch.

The answer to the cultural references is. Drum roll please. ................ Highlander the Series.


	18. Chapter 17

I own Thomas, Elizabeth, Henry and John Walker. Disney owns the others.

Thanks for the kind reviews and the warm welcome back. I'll try not to let another 4 months pass between updates

* * *

Kim opens her eyes in darkness and disappointment. She had been having a lovely dream. In it, she had been walking down the aisle, her father escorting her. Standing by the preacher, with a big goofy grin, was her man, Ron Stoppable, looking handsome in his tuxedo. Even Rufus, sitting on the organ, was decked out in a tuxedo, smiling and wiping tears of joy from his eyes with his tiny paws. Everyone she had ever known had shown up for this. The biggest day of her life, the day she says her vows and becomes Kimberly Ann Stoppable. And then an unidentified noise had dared awakened her.

Grumbling in annoyance, she slowly sits up, ears trained for the noise, thinking that perhaps some small animal had snuck into the hut. At first, she thinks it's Rufus, but then she remembers he had been left behind in Middleton.

After a moment, she hears the noise again. It's coming from the bed she's sharing with Ron. That thought causes a blush and a faint giggle as she wonders what her father would think of that. But that thought is chased away when she hears the noise once again. This time, the noise is slightly clearer, and she realizes that it's Ron's voice, muffled under the thick pillow that had somehow ended up over his head.

Lifting the blanket, she looks at her boyfriend, her face etched with concern.

Ron is curled into a fetal position, clutching his chest tightly. Lifting the pillow, she sees Ron's face, clenched in terror and pain. With the pillow lifted, she can hear him clearly now, "No. No. Please no. Please stop. Stop. Kim! Kim? Where are you Kim? Sidekick in trouble. Please, where are you Kim? I need you."

Stifling a strangled sob, Kim lays back down, pulling Ron against her, stroking his hair as she kisses his shoulder, "Shhh, Ron," she murmurs, her voice trembling, "It's ok. I'm here now. I'll always be here". She keeps stroking his hair, whispering soft words to him as he slowly calms down, comforted by her presence. With him in her arms, he sleeps peacefully the rest of the night. However, Kim doesn't sleep at all, holding Ron close and staring into space, a haunted expression in her eyes.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The sun hasn't risen yet before Kim finally rises. Giving Ron a soft kiss on the lips, she slips on a pair of slippers, then a robe to ward off the mountain's chill that her thin pajamas were not a match for. Stepping outside, she takes a deep breath, then sighs as she leans against the wall of the hut, hugging herself tightly as tears run down her face.

Wiping her eyes, she gives a sniffle, looking at the door of the hut in concern. With a final wipe of her eyes, Kim walks away from the hut, staring at the ground, walking with no destination in mind. Yet it comes to no surprise that she finds her feet have led to the small pond she had found on her first day. It's a small pond, fed fresh water from an underground source, koi fish swimming about lazily within it. At one end, a small Shinto shrine is set up, smoke curling lazily from a small cup filled with burning incense, and with greenish glowing mushrooms around the outside of the shrine. Kim sits at the other end, on a log smoothed by innumerable students sitting on it. Hugging her knees to her chest, she rests her head on her knees, shoulders shaking as she allows herself to finally cry.

At the sound of a branch being stepped on, Kim starts and immediately starts wiping her eyes. Looking behind her, she sees Thomas, slowly making his way along the winding path that leads to the shrine. Giving Kim a small nod, he kneels before the shrine, bowing his head in prayer. Kim watches in fascination as Thomas ends his brief prayer, reaching into his suit jacket's pocket and pulling a thin slip of paper from his pocket, and a lighter. Saying another brief prayer, Thomas lights the paper on fire, holding the burning slip of paper momentarily, only dropping it into the bowl of incense when the flame gets close to his fingers. He bows his head one final time, then smoothly rises to his feet. Turning, he smiles at Kim and says, "Forgive me Kim. I did not mean to interrupt"

"No big," Kim says, curiosity evident in her eyes, "What was that for?" she asks, waving to indicate the shrine.

Looking at the shrine, Thomas shrugs and says, "I was offering a brief prayer to Sun Wukong on Ron's behalf"

At mention of Ron's name, Kim gets a crestfallen look and stares at the pond before her. Thomas sighs and sits on a log next to the shrine. Silent for a moment, he stares at the mushroons around him, their glow fading, the clouds above turning pink as the sun rises.

Picking a mushroom, he says suddenly, breaking the silence, "Honey mushrooms. Tenacious little bugger" Kim looks up to see what he's talking about, confused.

"Looks tiny, doesn't it?" Thomas asks, showing her the small mushroom, "Tiny and seemingly insignificant" Tossing the mushroom aaside, he picks another, "But there's more to them than meets the eye. I know it looks like I just killed two mushrooms, but I didn't." Tossing that mushroom aside, he scoops out dirt from around the dead wood, showing her the stems of the mushrooms, going into the ground, branching out and meeting other mushroom stems, forming a large mushroom underground, "It doesn't matter how many mushrooms you pick above ground. You can't kill it as it's what lies beneath that gives the mushroom life."

Rising to his feet, Thomas brushes his hands off, then heads down the trail heading back to the school, "Ron's alot like that mushroom. His strength runs deep. Deeper than any would suspect just by looking at him." With that, he leaves, Kim staring at the hole Thomas had made, the white body of the mushroom a start contrast to the dark soil it had been buried under. But, for the first time in days, Kim looks peaceful, a small smile on her lips as Thomas' last words run through her mind.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ron wakes from a dreamless sleep by a gentle tap on his shoulder. Slowly opening his eyes, he blinks groggily, the room coming into view, Kim leaning over him, a loving smile on her face, "Morning sleepyhead. You missed breakfast"

Sitting up, he groans and says, "What time is it?"

Kim gives him a kiss as she slides a bento (1) tray onto his lap, "It's almost noon. You've been alseep since yesterday evening. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing better," Ron says , "Although I would much rather have a naco," he finishes as he digs into the fish and rice, his normal exuberance for food subdued, a blatant sign of how troubled his mind truly was.

Kim chuckles and strokes Ron's hair, "When we get back, I'll order you some. Grande sized"

Ron smiles and says, "Thank you," around the food in his mouth.

"Thomas and Master Sensei are both wanting to talk to you," kim says, her smile fading, "They want to know what you remember."

Ron's face falls and he sets his chopsticks down, "I-I don't remember much. Most of it's a blur. All I really remember..." he goes silent as his mind's eye sees the bloody knife descending to cut more symbols into his abdomen. Ron scratches his chest, his fingers passing over the stitches from where the symbols had been sewn up. The doctor who had sewn his wounds had assured Kim that the stitches were small, so there'd be few if any scars.

But Kim wasn't worried about the physical scars. Leaning forward, she kisses Ron again, then says, "It's ok if you can't remember."

"I know what they want me to remember," Ron says softly, "They want to know if I heard about what he's planning"

"Shh Ron," Kim says, pulling him against her, "You don't have to think on it now." She chuckles, "Thomas was wanting to wake you and question you immediately. Master Sensei wouldn't hear of it. He said you need to take a few days to gather yourself. It was actually kind of scary seeing those two staring each other down. I don't think anyone has successfully stood against Thomas in a long time. He wasn't happy about backing down."

"Just who is Thomas anyways?" Ron asks, looking at her.

"Oh yeah," Kim says, chuckling, "You haven't been around him during his stories...."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The door to John's office opens and Henry steps in, giving John a deep bow.

Without turning from the large window, the skyline of Go City reflected in his eyes, John asks, "I presume you had no trouble?"

"None sir," Henry says, "Her creatures were easily dispatched. And she herself," he gives a chuckle, "Once her creatures were killed, it was like she had given up."

"Did you leave a message for Team Possible and Thomas?" John asks

"Yes sir," Henry says, a cruel smile flitting across his face, "They'll know it was you."

"And what of what I sent you for?" John asks, finally turning to regard his second in command.

"It's on it's way up the elevator as we speak sir," Henry says.

"Good," John says, walking to the mentioned elevator. When the doors slide open, he lets a brief smile escape.

"Excellent," he murmurs, stepping into the elevator, "Excellent," he murmurs again, hand reaching out to brush the stone cheek of Monkey Fist.

* * *

AN. Uh oh. This can't be good. As always, please read and review.

1. Bento is a single portion take out or home packed meal common in Japan. Traditional Bento usually consists of rice, fish or meat, and either cooked or pickled vegetables. There are also breakfast versions.


	19. Chapter 18

I own Thomas, Elizabeth, Henry, and John Walker. Disney owns everyone else. Including me. Seriously. It's in the contract I signed back when I worked for the Mouse.

By definition, my story passed short story awhile ago, and is now a novella with over 190 pages at 200 words per page.

Thanks for the kind reviews. Does my heart good to know I'm telling a tale that's enjoyed.

* * *

As Kim and Ron leave their hut, they come across Thomas, a satellite phone held to his ear, and a dour expression on his face, "Thanks for telling me," he says to whoever's on the other end. Pausing, he listens, then gives a quick nod, "Yes. I believe they need to be told," nodding at whatever is said, he responds, "I'll tell them now. Thank you for calling Betty. I'll call you later."

Hanging up, he looks at Kim and Ron, "Master Sensei's gonna be ticked. Oh well. Come with me you two"

"What's going on?" Kim asks, holding Ron's hand as they follow Thomas to Master Sensei's hut.

"I'll tell you when all of us are together," Thomas says, before grabbing a student by the arm and sending her to bring Shego and Elizabeth.

As the student runs off to her assigned task, Thomas reaches Master Sensei's cabin and opens the door, letting Kim and Ron in before following them and closing the door.

As they wait, Kim gets a chance to look around, although there isn't much. A low rectangular table in the middle of the main room, empty save for two placemats at each end, small yet thick pillows on the floor below the placemats. There's two doors, one closed, the other opened revealing a small office with little more than a desk, and oddly enough, a computer. Master Sensei is exiting the office as they enter. Bowing to them, he waits until they have bowed in return before saying, "I presume that Doctor Director has contacted you?"

"Yes Master Sensei," Thomas says, "But I would like to wait for Shego and Elizabeth before I speak on what was discussed."

"Well, I'm here," Shego says, walking into the cabin, scowling at the female ninja who escorted her, "Little miss ninja here interrupted me during my bath, so it had better be good"

"Amy Hall, the woman you know as DNAmy, was murdered last night," Thomas says after Elizabeth enters the cabin a few moments after Shego, "There was no sign of Monkey Fist."

Everyone is silent for a moment as that news sinks in. Yes, DNAMy was a chimmurito short of a value menu, but she wasn't really evil. She definitely didn't deserve to die.

"It was brutal," Thomas says, "At first, GJ thought one of her animals had perhaps done it, but then they found a message for Ron on the wall. Initial testing indicates it was written in Miss Hall's blood."

"What did the message sy?" Shego asks, scowling.

Thomas hesitates, looking at Ron worriedly, "It, ah... It said 'Thanks for the help Ron' "

"Noo," Ron moans, sinking to his knees, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry"

Kim kneels next to him, pulling him close, "Shh Ron, you have nothing to be sorry for" she murmurs, stroking his back as they hug, Ron burying his face in her shoulder, body clenched tightly.

"No-one blames you Ron," Thomas says softly, kneeling next to the two teens, "Kim's right. You did nothing wrong."

"I-I did such horrible things," Ron says, voice muffled by Kim's flesh, "Killed so many people"

"No Stoppable-san," Master Sensei says, "The sword cannot be held to blame for the actions of the weilder."

"B-but I let it happen," Ron cries into Kim's shoulder

"Bull," Shego says, getting into the conversation, "Did you fight back?"

"I couldn't," Ron says, "I tried, but the chains were so strong. And they blocked the MMP."

"But you tried," Shego says, "You didn't do it willingly."

Kneeling next to them, she grabs Ron by the shoulder and turns him to face her, "I have done many things in my life. Some very bad things. So trust me when I say this. You did nothing wrong. You are a good kid." Squeezing his shoulder gently, she says, "Now, quit blaming yourself. We need your help in getting John Walker. You think you're up to it?"

"Y-yeah," Ron says, nodding as he wipes his eyes, "I don't know how though. Most of it's a blur, and what isn't blurred is jumbled together."

"Did he ever mention his plans?" Thomas asks, "Why he was doing what he was doing?"

Ron closes his eyes and thinks, then nods, "Yes. yes. At the beginning, I asked him why"

"And what did he say?" Shego asks

"He said that he does it because, Erishig...Erishkig... Erishkigal told him to, "Ron says, struggling over the pronunciation.

"Erishkigal?" Thomas mutters, eyes narrowed in thought.

"What is it papa?" Elizabeth asks, looking at her father

"Hmm?" Thomas asks, "Oh. Nothing. It's just that, outside of academia, I haven't heard that name in a very long time."

"Erishkigal?" Kim asks, "Who is that?"

"Eirshkigal is the Mesopotamian Goddess of the Underworld," Thomas says, "Worship of her stopped around two millenia ago. At least, I thought it did."

"So, why does a man from the 21st century claim that she's giving him commands?" Kim asks

"I don't know," Thomas says, "John never struck me as the type to hang out in museums."

"Do you remember anything else?" he asks Ron, "Anything about what he's planning?"

Ron shakes his head, brow furrowed in thought, "I'm sorry. No I can't."

"It's ok Ron," Thopmas says, patting him on the shoulder, "You've done the best you can. Get some rest. Perhaps you'll remember more later."

After Ron nods, Thomas heads outside, Elizabeth close behind.

Catching up to her father, she grabs his arm and says, scowling, "I think that was the first time you ever directly lied to me papa. What's going on? For a moment, I thought I saw something in your eyes. To be honest, it scared me Papa."

"It's not important acushla," Thomas murmurs, kissing her cheek, "I didn't see any point to burdening them or you with something that isn't relevant. Besides, it was a long time ago"  
Gently easing his arm out of her grip, Thomas heads off down the path that leads to the school's garden. Elizabeth watches him go, concern etched on her face.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Several basement levels below their building, on a level that's on no blueprint, John and Henry slowly walk around the stone form of Monkey Fist, which has been set up in the middle of an empty cavernous room.

"I've seen the reports sir," Henry says, "This was done by powerful magic. The Yono was not created by human hands. How will we bring him back?"

"Easy," John says, removing his shirt, revealing a broad chest, a pendant shaped like a silver serpent with a ruby in it's mouth resting against the dark skin, "I was given magics even more powerful than the Yono. Watch and learn."

With that, ge takes his necklace off, holding the amulet in his palm, "The Amulet of Erishkigal. Not as powerful as the medallion of Alulus, but much more versatile" he says before closing his eyes, lips moving as he murmurs a brief prayer.

As he prays, a greenish glow, dim at first, then steadily brightening, flows from the amulet in his palm, moving to slowly envelop him and lift him up until he's hovering about 6 inches above the ground. With the glow surrounding him, he lays his hand on the top of the statue's head, a thrumming sound filling the air as the glow slowly moves to cover Monkey Fist.

Henry steps back then, eyes wide as cracks start appearing in the statue, zigzagging and crisscrosing each other until Monkey Fist looks more like a puzzle put together than a statue before pieces start falling off, disappearing before they hit the ground. Each piece that falls off exposes a bit of flesh here, brown fur there, black clothing at other places until Monkey Fist is freed from the stone, dark eyes staring, yet unseeing, into the distance.

"Is... Is he alive?" Henry asks, walking around Monkey Fist.

"As science currently defines it?" John asks, then answers his own question, "No. But it's not true death either. He's in a kind of stasis."

Kissing the Amulet of Erishkigal, he says another prayer, then presses the amulet against Monkey Fist's forehead before draping the thin chain around his neck, tucking the medallion under Monkey Fist's shirt. Stepping back, he snaps his fingers and says an incantation, the amulet flashing with a red light, Monkey Fist's eyes glowing red as well momentarily. When the light fades, Monkey Fist blinks and stumbles forward a couple steps before catching his balance.

"Where? Where am I?" Monkey Fist asks, voice gravelly from disuse. Eyes settle first on Henry, but immediately dismisses him as inconsequential, instead looking at John, "Who are you?"

John smiles and says, as Henry leaves the room "I, Lord Fisk, am John Walker, acolyte of Erishkigal. More importantly to you, I am your master now."

Monkey Fist barks a quick laugh, assuming a Wooden Monkey(1) stance only to scream in agony and dropping to the floor, clutching his chest. John Walker appears calm, the only sign that he is responsible for Monkey Fist's current state are his eyes, which glow with the same red light as the medallion around Monkey Fist's chest is currently glowing.

"I think it might actualy be fun to fight against you, "John says calmly, as Henry returns, pushing a cart with a large telivision and a DVR on it into the room, "Test your Monkey Kung Fu against the gifts given to me. Unfortunately, we don't have time for that today." Eyes narrowing, he crouches next to Monkey Fist, then hisses through his teeth, "I own you Fisk. Body and Soul. The medallion around your neck not only grants you life, it links you directly to me. With but a thought, I can give you pain unlike anything you can imagine. I can also give you intense pleasure. Or I could take back that which I have given you."

SOmehow focusing past the pain, Monkey Fist growls out, "I will not submit. I am Monkey Fist!" Reaching to his throat, he scratches at the necklace, attempting to take it off, only to find it will not budge, as if it was fused with his flesh.

"I wouldn't do that," John says, rising to his feet and moving to the television, "Only someone with great power would have the strength to remove it. And even if you found such a person, and they did remove it without knowing the key..." his voice trails off as he shudders, "It wouldn't be pleasant for either of you."

"I still won't submit," Monkey Fist growls, glaring through tear clouded eyes at his tormentor.

"I thought as such, "John says, shrugging, as he turns on the television. Suddenly the room is filled with monkeys shrieking in sheer agony as the television shows a room full of caged monkeys, each writhing on the floors of their cages, tiny paws clutching at replicas of the medallion around Monkey Fist's neck, "Which is why I arranged this"

Monkey Fist goes still, eyes wide in shock as he watches the monkeys being tortured, only his eyes flickering as he recognises each monkey in the room, "Stop it!" he cries out, "Stop it! Fine. You win. I won't resist. Just stop hurting them." (2)

"Good," John says, blinking once. Immediately, Monkey Fist's pain stops, and the monkeys stop shrieking and howling, replaced with mewling and sobbing.

Standing next to Monkey Fist, he looks down at the once proud villian as he struggles to rise, making it as far as a kneeling posision.

"I have such wonderful plans for you my simian friend," John says, smiling once more, "Such wonderful plans"

* * *

1. Wooden Monkey is one of the styles of Tai Shing Pek Kwar. While Disney wasn't very faithful to the actual martial arts, Monkey Fist's style was highly reminiscent of Wooden Monkey, a form that mimics a serious, angry monkey, attacking and defending with ferocity.

2. During certain episodes featuring Monkey Fist, he can be occasionally shown bowing to his monkeys, or showing them other signs of respect, if not affection. Not to mention, Monkey Fist's bio says he actually loves animals. It's Humans he doesn't like all that much.

What could John be planning? Your guess is as good as mine to be honest. Not like he tells me anything. Anyways, please read and review.


	20. Chapter 19

AN: I only own Thomas, Elizabeth, John Walker, and Henry. The rest are owned by Disney.  
Check my profile. I updated it with a glimpse of the future.  
Thanks for the kind reviews.

* * *

"I hate monkeys," John Walker mutters under his breath, scowling as he watches his assistant, Henry, clean up yet another mess made by the troop of monkeys that now called the tower in Go City home. Considering how useful Monkey Fist has proven to be in the last two weeks, stealing artifacts left and right without getting caught, John had figured there would be no harm in letting the monkeys roam freely. Boy, was I wrong, he thinks to himself, wincing as two monkeys, practicing their kung fu, knocked over a pedestal with a valuable vase on it. He sighs in relief when one of the monkeys catches the vase with it's tail, and thanks his lucky stars that they were at least house trained. Henry might have quit otherwise.

Although, if he wanted to be honest with himself, he was rather pleased with how things had gone so far. Once Monkey Fist had surrendered, he had become a quite valuable asset. Just on his work in the last two weeks, he had made resurrecting him worth the head-ache. And now that Monkey Fist had proven himself a capable slave, the time had come for the real reason he had woken Monkey Fist.

"Come here Fisk," John says to Monkey Fist, who was with a small group of monkeys, sparring with them.

Immediately, Fisk bows to his sparring partners, then with a leap and a flip, lands before John, "What would you have me steal now?" he asks, a low growl in the back of his throat. Oh, how he hated this man before him. Were it not for the medallions about his monkey ninjas' necks, he would teach this man how to show proper respect to a man of Fisk's stature.

John sees the hate in Fisk's eyes and gives a low chuckle, "Relax Fisk," he says, "You'll like this job. Until now, the things you've stolen for me were worthless. Tests of your abilities and loyalties."

"Worthless?," Monkey Fist sputters, "Any one of the items I have stolen could buy you any third world nation. With all of them, you could buy half of the countries in the European Union."

"Exactly," John says, "As I said. Worthless. What would I do with half the nations of the European Union? Especially when I can have them all with this next item you are to get for me?"

"What would that be?" Monkey Fist asks, eyes narrowing in suspicion

"The Tempus Simia," John says, watching in amusement as Monkey Fist's eyes widen in shock.

Scuttling backwards, Monkey Fist shakes his head and says vehemently, "No! Absolutely not! The Tempus Simia is too dangerous. Time Travel has consequences beyond our understanding. Who knows what could happen?." If he had stopped to think about it, Monkey Fist would actually be hard pressed to say exactly why he was afraid. But at the mention of the Tempus Simia, a cold band of fear had wrapped around his heart. (1)

John laughs at Fisk's reaction, saying once he's calmed down, "Oh, I have no intention of actually using the Tempus Simia as it was intended to be used." Shaking his head, he continues, "No. I have no intention of traveling through time. The Tempus Simia is a powerful artifact. The only artifact that is a successful blend of magical and mystical energies. Outside of Ron Stoppable," Jon smirks when Fisk gives a low growl at the mention of his arch-foe, "It is the largest source of arcane power. It is that power that I seek."

"So you can destroy more cities?" Monkey Fist asks, eyes wide. In the weeks he'd been awake, he'd had time to catch up on the news, and what he had seen had chilled him to the bone. Even were his monkeys not being held hostage, he would have had to think twice about crossing John Walker.

"Nah," John says, "That was just to grab their attention. Divert their focus to more obvious plots"

Stepping into his office, he moves to the fireplace. pressing one of the nobs on the marble mantel, he steps back as a seam appears in the wall above the fireplace, the fake wall sliding open to reveal a massive television screen. Turning on the television, he shows Monkey Fist a digital map of the world. Crisscrossing the map are thousands of red lines, crisscrossing, red dots where the lines cross, the dots getting larger the more lines that are crossed.

Monkey Fist steps closer to the map, eying the red lines, a vague sense of familiarity with the paths nagging the back of his mind. Suddenly, his eyes widen and he turns to look at John. He knew those lines. he'd learned of them during his research into mysticism.

John nods at Monkey Fist's recognition, "Yes Fisk," he says, "Those are the planet's ley lines. Arcane energy flows through this world, forming rivers and lakes of power. Magicians use those lines to fuel their spells. Mystics are filled by the energy, their bodies converting and storing the energy for later use. With the power of the Tempus Simia, I will tap into the largest 'lake'," pointing to the largest red dot, situated just off the coast of Ireland, "Which will give me access to all the ley lines and pools. With that power, I will be as a god. None would dare stand against me."

Monkey Fist listens, looking at the map, tracing the lines, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before. His thought are interrupted by John gripping his shoulder and saying, "The Tempus Simia was found a few days ago. You will take some of your monkeys and retrieve it for me."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The last two weeks had been peaceful at Yamanouchi. No attacks, even Kim's regular Rogue's gallery lying low due to Global Justice's heightened awareness during the John Walker debacle. But there had been no sign of him either.

In that time, under Master Sensei's tutelage, Ron Stoppable had slowly but surely come to grips with his ordeal, and while he was still plagued by the occasional nightmare, he no longer held himself responsible. But he was still changed. There was a darkness in his eyes that had never been there and his training took on new levels of intensity. When Thomas asks him what's going on, Ron only responded by saying, "Kim deserves better."

But the time came when they had to return to Middleton. Kim and Ron were welcomed home by both the Possible and Stoppable clans with a large party. When asked to stay, Thomas and Shego smiled and made polite refusals, neither comfortable in large groups, with Shego's discomfort increased by the fact that Kim was her arch-foe, or at least, had been. While they had had a truce while at Yamanouchi, neither knew if it was only temporary, or if it would evolve into peace. So, after giving Wade a way to contact them, Thomas and Shego leave the happy reunion, making their way to Thomas' hotel.

"I suppose I should call Dr. D," Shego says, sighing, as they enter Thomas' suite. "Let him know I'm back"

"I also need to call my husband, " Elizabeth says after taking her coat and shoes off, "I'll show you where the phone is," she continues, then leads Shego down a hallway.

Thomas meanwhile, removes his jacket and heads to the liquor cabinet. Pouring himself a glass of rum, he heads to the fireplace. Setting his drink on the table next to one of the plush chairs, he moves to the fireplace itself, and after arranging the wood, he soon has a small blaze going. He then sits down in the chair and grabs his drink, sipping it slowly as he stares into the flames.

A short time later, he feels arms draped across his shoulder. Twisting his neck, he smiles up at Elizabeth and says, "Everything OK?"

Elizabeth kisses the corner of his mouth before moving around the chair to sit across from him, "Yeah papa. Kevin and Eliza are OK." She smiles sadly and says, "She got a standing ovation at her school play"

Thomas sighs and says, "I'm sorry acushla. I didn't intend for you to miss your daughter's play."

"I know papa," Elizabeth says, "This is more important anyways."

"No baby," Thoma says, shaking his head, "Nothing is more important than family."

"Well, if we don't stop John, I doubt I'd have a family to come home to," Elizabeth points out.

"Good point," Thomas says, chuckling.

When Shego comes into the room, she grabs a cocktail, then sits down in the third seat, giving a sigh, "The idiot says he's working on plans to take over the world."

"He needs a hobby," Thomas mutters into his drink.

Shego snorts and sips her drink. Setting her drink down, she looks at Thomas and says, "I'd like to hear more of your story."

Thomas smiles and says, "I thought you might."

Leaning back, he stares into the fire, "Now, where was I? Ah yes. Toshimiru."

"Toshimiru was a powerful mystic," Thomas says, beginning his tale once more, "With meditation and martial arts, he could accomplish things that others only dream about. I once saw him cross a roaring river without a boat or bridge, and not get his feet wet. Another time, I was showing off, and lifted a boulder that was several times my own weight. He lifted the same boulder, without laying a single finger on it."

"But where he truly excelled was at a style of fighting he called Tai Shing Pek Kwar. I must admit, when I first saw him moving about, I couldn't help but laugh. He looked so ridiculous, dancing and moving about like some monkey. I was soon to learn to not underestimate something because it looks ridiculous."

_The center of the village had been cleared, and now Toshimiru is in the middle of a large circle of villagers. The villagers watch silently as Toshimiru moves about, running around in a crouch, arms hanging loosely at his sides, strange sounds issuing from his mouth. As he moves, his eyes and head dart around, his hands scrabbling at the air and ground, and at his own body, acting like a monkey picking fruits from tres and bugs from his own body and eating them._

_Zipani steps through the crowd to watch. Tilting his head, he looks perplexed and he calls out, "Toshimiru? What in the name of all that is holy are you doing?"_

_"It is called Tai Shing Pek Kwar Zipani my friend" Toshimiru says in an even voice as he starts leaping about, "It is a style of fighting and meditation"_

_"Fighting?" Zipani scoffs, "You're picking at imaginary fruit and bugs. How is that fighting?" he asks_

_"It is about misdirection" Toshimiru says, "Confuse the enemy, make the enemy think and act the way you want him to act"_

_"If you say so" Zipani says doubtfully, "Seems to be a waste of energy if you ask me"_

_Toshimiru smiles and asks, "Do you think you can defeat this style?"_

_"Yes I do", Zipani says, to which Toshimiru responds by beckoning Zipani into the circle._

_Smirking, Zipani struts into the circle, then bows when Toshimiru does. Immediately after, Toshimiru immediately goes into a crouch. Slapping the ground, he leaps about, screeching like a monkey as he moves around Zipani._

_Cocky, Zipani smirks and moves in, thinking it's going to be a quick fight. Imagine his surprise when Toshimiru leaps straight up into the air and plants his feet into the back of Zipani's head, knocking Zipani down, then leaping to the other side of the circle, crouching as he watches Zipani get back up._

_"That was a good move" Zipani says, brushing dirt off his face and chest, "Think you can show me that later?" He doesn't wait for Toshimiru to answer, immediately going on the offensive, moving faster than normal eyes can follow, kicks and punches moving in a blur._

_Amazingly, Toshimiru dodges and avoids every single superhuman strike. After a few minutes of that, he makes his move, grabbing Zipani's arm, stopping the strike inches away from his face. Then, using Zipani's arm for leverage, he literally climbs Zipani's body, Toshimiru's own hands moving in blurs as he strikes at several key points._

_Leaping away, he stands at the edge of the circle, face blank as Zipani falls forward, body numb where Toshimiru had struck._

_It takes a few minutes, but eventually feeling returns and Zipani rises. Looking at Toshimiru, he smiles and says after bowing, "You have really got to teach me that"_

_Toshimiru bows and says, "Of course. Come with me and we can begin your lessons"_

"He led me to the clearing, and before beginning the actual lessons, taught me a few things about the style. Tai Shing Pek Kwar is a style of Kung Fu, and like most other styles of Kung Fu, the first masters studied animals, in this case monkeys, and mimicked their style of movement and fighting. The two styles he had used on me that day were Tall Monkey and Lost Monkey. In the years we spent together, he also taught me the other styles of Tai Shing Pek Kwar, Stone Monkey, Wooden Monkey, Crafty Monkey, and quite possibly the most powerful form, Drunk Monkey."

"In my time with him, he was not my only Master. Other teachers came to Toshimiru, and some agreed to teach me as well. So I picked up many different styles of fighting, as well as learning of medicine, meditation, and other things that I have found useful over the centuries," Thomas says, before rising and going to refill his brandy

Shego follows him, getting another cocktail as well. As she makes her drink, she asks, "So you know Tai Shing Pek Kwar? Like Ron?"

"Yes," Thomas says, heading back to his seat, Shego following moments later, "But, while I could be considered a Master by any mortal standard, when compared to Ron, I'm just a novice of Tai Shing Pek Kwar."

Shego smiles and says, "Who do you think would win between you and Ron?"

"If we both just used Tai Shing Pek Kwar, he would. Without a doubt," Thomas says, "Regardless of what style I used though, he'd give me a run for my money. I think only my abilities would enable me to win against him."

"What about between you and me?" She asks, smirking.

"Me. Your abilities are canceled by my abilities, so it'd be a straight fist fight. And I have a few thousand years on you in that regard." Thomas says without hesitation, smirking at Shego's outraged expression, "Some time later, I would like to spar against you. But not here. I would like my damage deposit back."

"Now, would you like me to tell you more?" he asks.

Shego grumbles, but sits down, muttering for a moment as Thomas continues his tale

"As time passed, I became a familiar fixture in the village, helping out here and there. Doing whatever needed to be done, using my special abilities to accomplish things that the villagers couldn't by themselves."

Closing his eyes, he relives the experience as he speaks...

_The clang of metal on metal greets Tai Yang as he enters the large hut he'd been told Toshimiru could be found. About 15 years ago, 5 years after being found on the beach, Zipani had taken to calling himself Tai Yang in honor of the new culture he found himself in. Toshimiru had gotten married 12 years ago, a beautiful woman named Li Ming. A year later, she had given birth to their son Jiang. Tai Yang had been named the gan die gan ma(2)._

_"Someone told me I could find you in here" Tai Yang says, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he enters the building normally used by the village blacksmith. At one end Toshimiru was pounding a hammer on a slab of steel._

_"I didn't know you were a blacksmith" he continues, stepping around the blacksmith's shop, looking around._

_"I am not" Toshimiru says, "I gained the knowledge to do this through a dream sent by Sun Wukong"_

_"He's sending you dreams again?" Tai Yang asks. Despite his question, Tai Yang is not mocking Toshimiru for saying that the Monkey King was sending him dreams. Indeed, Tai Yang had learned to trust the dreams sent to Toshimiru by the God of Chaos. In addition to his other mystic abilities, Toshimiru was known far and wide as a seer of considerable talent, able to see the future in dreams._

_"Indeed my old friend" Toshimiru says, dipping the piece of metal into a bucket of water, "He told me that the sword I am to forge will be needed in the future. That the Monkey Master will use it to vanquish the greatest of his foes"_

_"I thought you were the Monkey Master?" Tai Yang asks, brow furrowed in confusion._

_Toshimiru smiles and says, "No Tai Yang, I am merely a disciple of the Monkey King. The Monkey Master will not be born until long after I am dust"_

_"So what's so special about the sword?" Tai Yang asks_

_"It is a unique sword. In the hands of a disciple of Sun Wukong, the weapon will be able to change shape. In the Hands of the Monkey Master, it will surpass anything that even I could do with it."_

_"Wow" is all Tai Yang says, impressed._

_The rest of the forging is spent in silence as Toshimiru spends the entire afternoon forging the blade, hammering and shaping the sword, every so often adding herbs and lotus flower petals to the glowing steel. At the end, when the final shape is revealed, Toshimiru takes a small blade and cuts his palm open, muttering an incantation as he dribbles his blood over the entire length, the blood hissing as it strikes the blade._

_Despite having questions, Tai Yang remains silent until the sword is finished, resting in a new bucket of cold salt water, the last thing required is for the blade to be sharpened and polished._

_"May I ask why you put your blood on the blade?" he asks, as he had seen many of Toshimiru's mystical rituals, and this is the first time he had seen his friend spill his blood as part of the ritual._

_"In my dream, Sun Wukong sat down beside me and after showing me how to forge the blade, he told me that a piece of my soul must be added as well. Otherwise any one would be able to pick up the blade and use it. With that piece of my soul added, only a disciple of Sun Wukong can use it's hidden powers. In any other hand, it is merely an indestructible sword."_

_"Anything else he tell you?" Tai Yang asks_

_"Yes. He told me two things," Toshimiru says, "He told me that I must go to the islands east of here, find the mountain he holds as sacred, and using the sword, carve a place that will be used as a school by the Guardians of the Lotus Blade"_

_"Lotus Blade?" Tai Yang asks, then shrugs, "As good a name as any I suppose. What is the second thing he told you?"_

_"He said that you and I must leave for the Islands by the next full moon"_

_"What?" Tai Yang asks, looking at Toshimiru in shock, "He mentioned me by name? What about your wife and son? Are they coming as well?"_

_"Not yet" Toshimiru says, "They will join us later, but for now, only you and I are to go"_

"So, three weeks later, Toshimiru and I set sail for the islands his dreams told him of. In time, it became imperative we leave. As the time drew nearer, Toshimiru's dreams grew steadily worse. Once or Twice I caught him down at the beach, attempting to swim across in his sleep. Our jounrey across the sea was rather uneventful, despite it actually being my first time on a body of water larger than a lake. I must admit, I did not eat much during the three day journey. The only time I tried, I got sick.  
For being a wise mystic, Toshimiru seemed to derive too much enjoyment out of my predicament."

Giving a stretch, Thomas looks at the clock above the mantelpiece and says, "It's getting late. I think I'll head to bed."

Shego groans, and is about to protest, before suddenly yawning. Nodding in agreement, she stretches and rises sinously, "I should be heading back to the lair anyways,"

"I would prefer if you slept here," Thomas says, looking at Shego, "It's a long drive back to the lair, as you put it. I'd feel better if you got some rest first."

Shego nods, too tired to protest, "You're gonna tell me more tomorrow, right?" she asks.

Thomas laughs softly as he says, "Yes Shego. I will. Now, go to bed before you fall alseep on your feet."

"Sound like my mother," Shego mutters as she heads to the room she stayed in last time she slept over.

"Good night papa," Elizabeth says, giving Thomas a quick peck on the cheek, "Get some rest. Heightened endurance or not, you still need to sleep too."

"Yes acushla," Thomas says, smiling at his daughter, watching her walk off. He spends some time staring at the fire once she's out of sight, giving a sigh as he relives old memories.

"Good night, Keiko," he murmurs softly, "I'll tell her of you soon. I promised." Tossing back the last of his drink, he then heads to bed himself.

* * *

There. I'll do more flashbacks next chapter. As always, read and review. Oh and don't forget to check my profile for a glimpse of future projects.

!. I figure, even with the reality reboot that occured, that if Ron still didn't like meat cakes, despite never having had any in the normal time line, then the other participants might have taken something from that experience as well.  
2. gan die gan ma is the closest translation I could find to the english concept of godfather. If I'm wrong, let me know, and I'll fix it.


	21. Chapter 20

AN Saying this every chapter is rather depressing. I own Thomas, Elizabeth, Henry, and John. Everything else belongs to Disney.

Thanks for the kind reviews. Yesterday must have been a busy day. Within minutes of posting the last chapter, my story dropped to the number 9 position. Also, I edited the last chapter very slightly. Saw that I had accidentally said "the Possible and Possible clans" when it should have read, "the Possible and Stoppable clans".

* * *

After breakfast, Thomas and Shego retire to the study once more as Elizabeth leaves, saying that she had to head home to her family for the day.

"So you were telling me about how you came to Japan?" Shego asks, curling up in a chair next to the window overlooking Middleton's downtown section.

"Yes," Thomas says, sitting in the chair next to hers, "As I said, we headed across the seas. For me, it was a brutal journey. I had never crossed an ocean before. So when we finally hit land, I was so relieved. But that relief was short lived."

_"Why aren't you getting bit?" Tai Yang asks as he slaps his arm for the thousandth time. They had been traveling through the forest for the last two days, and while the mosquitoes had decided that Tai Yang was a suitable buffet, Toshimiru has given no sign of discomfort._

_"They do not bother me because they do not bother me," Toshimiru says, continuing to move through the dense undergrowth of the forest as he leads them towards a large mountain in the distance, the Lotus Blade slashing through the undergrowth that blocks their path._

_"How very mystical" Tai Yang says dryly as he slaps yet another mosquito, "Are you sure this is the right mountain? The last two we visited, you said they weren't right."_

_"Sun Wukong visited me and told me that this was the right mountain," Toshimiru says._

_"Why couldn't he have mentioned that before we had to climb two other mountains?" Tai Yang mutters, pushing aside a fern that slapped him in the face after Toshimiru released it._

_Toshimiru says calmly, "He does not wish us to take the easy path."_

_"Of course not," Tai Yang says with a wry grin, "What's the fun in that?"_

_The rest of the trip to the mountain is spent in silence, broken only by the sounds of Tai Yang slapping himself every so often, and the sound of the Lotus Blade cutting through the surrounding vegetation like a hot knife through butter._

_They eventually reach a narrow valley, a river rushing down the center, the source of the river a massive waterfall falling down one mountain with a somewhat flatter peak than the mountain next to it._

_Toshimiru looks up and points, "There. That is where the school will be."_

_Tai Yang looks up as well, noting the large tree lined peak of the first mountain that seems to be what Toshimiru is indicating, "Oh joy. More climbing," he grumbles_

_"Do not fret my friend" Toshimiru says, setting a steady pace along the bank of the river, "It will be our honor to perform this task."_

_"You're lucky I like you," Tai Yang mutters, trudging along behind Toshimiru._

_Toshimiru smirks and heads for the waterfall. Once they reach it, he sets his pack down on dry ground, saying, "We will make camp here. Tomorrow, we will make the climb."_

_"Thank the gods" Tai Yang mutters, setting his pack next to Toshimiru's, "I'll gather some firewood," he says, then heads into the forest that comes right to the foot of the mountain. When Tai Yang returns, Toshimiru starts cooking their dinner. After the meal, Toshimiru opens his pack and pulls out his mohagony go board and a pouch of his stones. They spend the rest of the night playing Go, something they've been doing since Toshimiru taught Tai Yang how to play a few months after he arrived. The game lasted several hours, and when Toshimiru won, as he usually did, they both unpacked their bedrolls and turned in for the night._

_The next day dawned bright and early. When Tai Yang woke, he found Toshimiru standing at the base of the waterfall, just staring at the cascading water as if mesmerized by the way the light shimmered off of it. Tai Yang had to admit. The way the sunrise struck the waterfall, it did make for an impressive sight, although most of the beauty was lost by how close to it they were._

_After packing everything up, and pouring water on the fire to douse it, Tai Yang moves to join Toshimiru, saying, "Where do we start climbing?"_

_Toshimiru doesn't answer, instead, simply staring at the waterfall intently. After a few minutes pass, Tai Yang gets nervous and he says in a soft voice, "Toshimiru? You alright?"_

_Shaking his head, Toshimiru looks at his friend and smiles, "I am alright. But something is behind this waterfall."_

_Tai Yang looks back at the waterfall, brow furrowed in confusion, "What? I don't see anything."_

_Toshimiru starts moving, moving along the face of the cliff, working his way behind the waterfall, Tai Yang following, "I saw it in my dreams last night" Toshimiru says, "In the dream, I saw a monkey. He was pointing at the waterfall and chittering. When I looked to where he was pointing, I saw a large shadow behind the waterfall."_

_Tai Yang looks back at the waterfall, but seeing nothing, looks back at Toshimiru, "Do you think Sun Wukong sent the dream?"_

_Toshimiru nods, "Yes I do. When I awoke, I felt compelled to explore behind the waterfall. I still feel the compulsion, however, I decided to wait for you to awaken."_

_"Thanks," Tai Yang says, knowing that sometimes when Sun Wukong compels Toshimiru to do something, he's been known to wander off without telling anyone._

_With that, Toshimiru follows the face of the mountain, disappearing behind the waterfall, Tai Yang following close behind, taking one last look around the valley before stepping behind the cascading water. Once behind the waterfall, Tai Yang has to stop and let his eyes adjust to the gloom. Once he's able to see, he looks around, nodding in appreciation, "A good place to lay an ambush if I had the mind to do so," he murmurs as he looks around the small water-worn cave, a small tunnel at the back, barely large enough for two people side by side._

_From the tunnel, he sees a yellow glow just as Toshimiru calls out from ahead, "This way Tai Yang" Giving a small smile, Tai Yang shakes his head and follows, muttering, "He's impatient today."_

_The tunnel twists and turns, steadily heading upwards at a slight incline, the occasional small rockfall here and there breaking the monotany. Even after catching up to Toshimiru, the only sound that is heard as they move is the narrow trickle of water flowing down the center of the tunnel, causing Tai Yang to mutter, "Not even the mightiest of mountains can withstand the river forever."_

_"Indeed," Toshimiru says, remembering that conversation from 20 years ago as well as he holds up his hand, the yellow light issuing forth from the hand as from a torch._

_In the tunnel, time is meaningless. An eternity passes in the space of a few hours, and still they trudge on, steadily making their way up the mountain, the oppresive air of the tunnel making conversation impossible after a short time._

_Eventually the tunnel widens and opens up to the ledge that Tai Yang had looked at the day before. Stepping to the edge, he gives a low whistle as his eyes pan the majestic view. Thousands of feet below, he eyes the river, following it's course through the forest on it's way to the ocean, the view occasionally broken by fluffy white clouds._

_"We are not done with the journey yet," Toshimiru says, looking over the valley to the mountain peak on the other side._

_"We're not?" Tai Yang asks, moving to stand beside his friend._

_"No. Toshimiru says, then points to the other mountain, "That is where we must go."_

_"What!?" Tai yang exclaims, "We just spent the entire day walking in a tunnel almost as narrow as a coffin, and now you're saying we have to go to the other mountain?"_

_"Indeed" Toshimiru says, a small smile playing at his lips, "We must hurry if we want to get there before sundown."_

_"Get to that mountain before sundown?" Tai Yang asks incredulously, "We have to get there before sundown? We'll be lucky to get to the bottom of this mountain before sunrise!"_

_"We are not going back down the mountain," Toshimiru says calmly, closing his eyes and murmuring to himself._

_"Not going back down the mountain?" Tai Yang asks, blinking rapidly as he tries to figure out his friend. Then, seeing the yellow sphere appearing around them both, he groans and says, "You have got to be kidding me."_

_In the valley down below, a deer darts it's eyes skyward, ears perked when it hears a man cursing. Looking up, the deer's simple mind cannot comprehend the yellow ball that is floating a thousand feet above it, the strange yelling noises coming from the ball as it goes from one mountain to the other on the other side of the valley._

_When the yellow ball dissolves, Tai Yang collapses to the ground, "Oh thank the gods. We're alive."_

_Toshimiru chuckles and says, "Of course we are. Did you expect anything else?"_

_"If the gods had intended us to fly, they would have given us wings" Tai Yang says, scowling at his friend._

_"Did I not use wings to fly us across?" Toshimiru asks, smiling at Tai Yang._

_"We did not use wings" Tai Yang says, getting up and brushing himself off, "We used a glowing yellow ball that you learned to create from a god known for liking to play pranks"_

_"Does it matter what shape the wings take if they work the same?" Toshimiru asks, walking ahead of Tai Yang to explore the mountain they found themselves on now._

_Tai Yang growls in frustration and says, "I hate you right now." Still grumbling, he follows his friend, straightening the packs on his shoulders._

_The cliff they find themselves at is impressive. Looking like it had been carved out by a massive spoon, the peak is circular, with the rest of the peak forming a wall at one end, water flowing down that wall, much smaller versions of the waterfall that led them here. The water pools at the wall, then starts flowing, streams twisting here and there, forming small crystal clear pools that dot the area before eventually flowing off the flat edge of the cliff before them. Trees dot the landscape, boughs reaching for the sky, small birds making the trees their homes._

_"We will camp for now" Toshimiru says, "Tomorrow, we begin on building the school"_

_Tai Yang nods, anger forgotten as he takes in the scent of jasmine and lotus blooms, a sense of peace filling him with each breath._

_Tai Yang is awoken the next morning not by the sun in his face, for it has yet to rise, but by the sounds of someone chopping wood. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looks around the mountain top, blinking on confusion when he can't find the source of the noise. Rising with a groan, he rolls his bedroll up and packs it away before heading off to find the source of the noise._

_He finds the source of the noise near the massive back wall of the mountain. With a glowing blue axe, Toshimiru has chopped down a dozen trees, and is now working on the felled trees, shaping and cutting them into logs about 15 feet tall and a couple feet in diameter. Without turning from his task, he says, "Can you get the finished pieces to the center please?"_

_"Sure" Tai Yang says, heading for the wood that's already been cut and shaped. Doing a couple quick stretches, he grabs the first column, fingers indenting the wood slightly as his muscles bunch. Then with a gutteral growl, he lifts the log up, and bracing it on his shoulders, carries the almost half ton log with ease to the center of the peak. He makes several more trips, stacking the wood neatly, then watches until Toshimiru has more wood for him, which he then carries._

_Over all, Toshimiru cuts down and shapes about 20 trees over the day, the Lotus blade changing to whatever tool is needed, and cutting through the wood like butter, Tai Yang carrying the wood to where he's directed._

_That night, as Tai Yang is massaging his shoulders, working the kinks out, Toshimiru brews a pot of tea. After the tea is done, he gives Tai Yang a glass, then sits down across the fire from his friend, saying, "I think we'll need about 50 more trees. We'll get those over the next few days. Then after that, we'll work on the stone needed."_

_"How much stone do you think we'll need?" Tai Yang asks, grabbing some ointment and rubbing it into his shoulder._

_"I don't know" Toshimiru says, shrugging before sipping his tea "As with the trees, I will start cutting, and will know as I go along what and how much is needed"_

_Tai Yang grumbles and opens his pack, "Then I guess it's a good thing you had me bring all this ointment" he says, fingering the dozens of tin cans of scented ointment._

_"Indeed" Toshimiru says, rummaging through his pack as well, pulling out some food to cook on the fire, "After the main buildings are done, we will get more wood from below to make the gate to block the pass over there" pointing to a trail leading to a winding path that goes down the mountain._

_Tai Yang looks at the path and then glares at Toshimiru, "We went up the other mountain and floated across the valley to get here, and there was a path leading up here all the time?" he asks, almost yelling_

_"I believe that the path we took up here was shown to me by Sun Wukong" Toshimiru says, "The school will go through troubling times and the students may need a way to get off this mountain that pursuers cannot use"_

_"So how are the students going to use that path?" Tai Yang asks, "I doubt they'll be able to fly"_

_"Of course not" Toshimiru says, "We will build a rope bridge for them. In the case of an attack, the students can make their way across the bridge, and once across, cut the ropes to deter any enemy that would pursue them"_

_"Must be some really tough times ahead" Tai Yang says softly, staring into the fire._

_"Indeed" Toshimiru says, "Just as the Chosen One will be shaped by his life, so will the school be shaped by world events. They both must be prepared"_

_With that, Toshimiru finishes his meal, then turns in for the night, leaving Tai Yang to stare into the fire. Finishing his meal, he rises and goes to turn in, murmuring, "I will help them be prepared old friend"_

The building of the school took several years, but it didn't take that long for the first students and teachers to arrive. A month after we finished the main parts of the school, people started arriving. Most of them were unskilled in the areas that could help the school directly, however, Toshimiru still found tasks for them. Some worked on construction, others lived at the base, a small village forming to serve the needs of the school until it could become self reliant. I never learned how those first people found out about the school and it's location. I can only assume that somehow, Toshimiru, or perhaps Sun Wukong himself, got the word out.

Originally, the school was just a school for Tai Shing Pek Kwar, with academics thrown in for good measure. Within 5 years though, Toshimiru had hired staff that knew skills that most would not consider honorable. Stealth, poisons, infiltration, subterfuge. When I asked him about it, he said "The students here will need these skills in the battles to come." I accepted his explanation, and to show my support, I became one of the first students to take those extra classes. Yes, I was still a student. While I was good, I still could not defeat Toshimiru in sparring.

But as time, passed, and more and more students arrived, I started feeling alienated. I was not like the other students, those from China, and those born on the islands the natives called Nippon. I was paler and taller. While it was not malice on their part, I started finding myself with only Toshimiru as company. And for a short time, that was enough. I had my studies, my sparring sessions with Toshimiru. I even had a couple places to go when I wanted solitude. A small shrine set apart from the other buildings, built to my specifications. And my favorite, a small outcropping on the other side of the rock wall behind the school that overlooked the valley down below.

"It seems though, that Toshimiru sensed my growing loneliness. In our 23rd year there, we received a new student. Someone that changed my life once again."

"About 3 years after we arrived, Toshimiru's family arrived. And a few years after that, Jiang met and fell in love with one of the Jomon natives. They got married soon after that, and had a daughter named Keiko" Thomas says, smiling fondly at the memories.

He's about to continue when the phone in the parlor starts ringing.

"Excuse me," Thomas says to Shego as he rises and goes to answer the phone.

A minute later, he rushes into the room and says, "Hurry up and get ready. Monkey Fist's been sighted at the Smithsonian in New York."

* * *

Hmmm, I wonder what Monkey Fist is doing at the Smithsonian? As always, please read and review.


	22. Chapter 21

AN: I own Thomas and John. Disney owns everyone else in this chapter.  
By the way, check out Acting Out by Sobriety. It's rated M and is femslash, so if that's not your thing, then ignore this. otherwise, check it out. It's pretty good so far.  
Sorry for the delay, I spent the last week and a half with some friends without internet access, and I'm also now working on two other stories, one of which is rather personal to me. You'll see one or both of them both soon.  
BTW, would you believe I already have the last chapter of the last story to this series written? No idea what's going to happen between now and then in the story over all, but I know how it's gonna end.  
BTW, ~this indicates telepathic contact~ Thanks for the reviews. On with the show.

* * *

Monkey Fist was in a quandary. Breaking into the Smithsonian had been surprisingly easy. For a government facility, he'd expected more from the security system. But he'd been hoping for more of a challenge. Part of it was that he enjoyed the challenge, but this time, it wasn't just the challenge he sought. He'd been hoping to be delayed long enough for Ron Stoppable and his girlfriend to get there. For the first time in his life, he did not want to succeed.

As he entered the wing of the museum dedicated to South American artifacts, he took stock of what had gone on.

Over a year ago, he had found the mystical Yono, a powerful being, what some might call a demi-god. He had thought to use the power to finally defeat his foe Ron Stoppable, and acquire the power of the Han. But he had miscalculated. He had thought that the Han was an item of great power. Instead, it turned out to be a mere infant. Smiling in amusement, he considers the fact that that mere infant had bested him. And as the price of his failure, the Yono had turned him into a stone statue.

Monkey Fist had no knowledge of the events that followed, but by catching up on the news, he had learned that his foe had acquitted himself admirably against an alien invasion, using his Mystical Monkey Powers to end the threat.

After a few minutes, he finds himself before a small display gase, bullet-proof glass covering the idol inside. Monkey Fist sneers as he looks it over, noting the contact points connected to the alarms that would go off if the cover was removed or it's weight changed due to breakage or cutting. Which gives him an idea. If they wouldn't come on their own, he'd force their attention to him.

Considering the possibility that he was being observed, Monkey fist acts as if this were normal, giving a shrug before he punches the glass, acting surprised when the alarms go off and solid steel doors drop, blocking all the exits.

"Well, this is annoying," he mutters as his monkeys gather near him, awaiting his orders. Using subtle hand gestures, he commands them to spread out, and only act as if they are looking for a way out.

After a few minutes, he was getting antsy, worried that John would figure out what was going on and would hurt the monkeys that always remained behind, hostages to make sure Monkey Fist did as told. But thankfully, he got his wish. As he was contemplating leaving, the skylights shatter, Kim Possible landing in a crouch amidst the falling glass, Ron Landing next to her, his eyes glowing blue.

And for the first time in over a year, Monkey Fist gets a good look at Ron. And What he sees has him nervous. Gone is the goofy bumbler he had held in derision. No humor played in the young man's eyes. John Walker had taken an innocent, carefree kid, and made a dark and angry man.

Giving a brief prayer to the monkey gods, Monkey Fist cries out, "Monkey Ninjas! Attack!"

Suddenly swarmed by a horde of monkeys, wearing black ninja garb, Kim loses sight of Ron momentarily as she's pushed back, forced to defend herself against the highly trained simians.

"Ron!," she calls out, using a move from her cheerleading days to clear a space.

"Here KP," Ron calls out, doing a back flip, and landing on one hand, going into a spinning kick to clear a path to Monkey Fist.

Monkey Fist meanwhile, watches, two seperate emotions warring within him. On the one hand, his long standing animosity towards Stoppable demanded that he engage the young man. On the other hand, his desire to be free of Walker demanded that he immediately surrender. However, if he did that, then his monkeys, and possibly even he, would die. Sighing inwardly, he's about to move in, when two more parties leap in from the skylight. Shego he recognised, but the other he had never seen before.

"Shego?" Monkey Fist exclaims, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"Saving the world," she says, "Doy."

"Really?" Monkey Fist asks, surprised, "That doesn't seem like you. After all, weren't you always working with Drakken to take over the world?"

"That was then, this is now," Shego says, her hands flaring up before taking out the two monkeys that had thought they were sneaking up on her.

~Stop stalling and make your escape~ John Walker's voice says, filling Monkey Fist's head, causing him to wince in pain.

Monkey Fist growls, then signals his monkeys to escape as he uses his powerful legs and arms to leap and climb his way up the larger displays, grabbing a banner attached to the ceiling, and using that to swing out the sky light, the monkeys following, their exit causing more debris to fall from above.

"That was odd," Thomas says, looking up, "usually villians like to gloat as they make their successful escape."

"Maybe he was in a rush?" Ron asks, the blue glow in his eyes fading

"I don't know," Kim says. She had seen something odd fall to the floor. Jogging over to it, she bends down and picks up the piece of paper. Looking at the paper, she sees a list of numbers on it. Taking it over to Ron, she shows him, Shego and Thomas coming over to take a look as well.

"That first series of numbers looks like latitude and langitude coordinates," Thomas says.

Shego nods and says, "If it is, it's Go City. Downtown Go City to be precise"

"What are the other numbers then?" Ron asks, pointing them out.

"An address?" Kim asks.

"Why would Monkey Fist drop it?" Shego asks, looking up at the sky light.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After getting in Thomas' limo, Thomas opens a compartment, sliding out a laptop that's bolted to a sliding tray. Plugging in a wireless internet card, he calls up Mapquest and inputs the information, Shego, Kim, and Ron trying to situation themselves to see what he's doing as the limo starts moving.

"Ok," Thomas says after a few minutes, "Shego was right. It is in downtown Go City. The Garnet Building to be precise."

Looking at the list, Kim asks, "So, I suppose these final numbers are what? This looks like a date and a time," pointing to one set, "But what are these others?" pointing to a long and uninterrupted line of letters and numbers, "SGVscCBtZS4gSGUgcGxhbnMgdG8gZGVzdHJveSBldmVyeXRoaW5nLiA1My41MjA5NDQsLTEwLjIyMTQzNg=="

"Let me see that," Shego says, taking the paper and reading it, "It's Base-64. Some security systems use it. May I?" she asks Thomas, holding her hand out for the computer.

"By all means," Thomas says, turning the laptop towards her.

Shego calls up another website, then types in the line of numbers, letters and symbols.

She waits a moment, then frowns, "This isn't good."

"What?" Ron asks, "What isn't good?"

"The code says 'Help me. He plans to destroy everything'. Then there's another set of coordinates, this one in decimal." Shego says, stunning everyone into silence.

"The Tempus Simia," Thomas mutters, causing a jolt of recognition in Ron, Kim, and Shego although none could say why they recognised it.

"What are you planning with it?" Thomas mutters, "What can time travel do that would destroy everything?"

"Time travel?" Kim asks, "Isn't that impossible?"

"Magic follows different rules," Thomas says distractedly.

"Well, he could go back and start a disaster that kills Kim's parents before she's born," Ron says, "After all, how many times has Kim saved the world?"

"Possibly," Thomas mutters, "But doubtful. With all that Kim has done, it's just as likely that John himself would find himself dead upon his return."

While they were talking, Shego went back to Mapquest and input the second set of coordinates. Seeing the result, she says, "The second coordinates are an island off the coast of Ireland."

"Ireland?" Kim asks

"What's in Ireland?" Ron asks, finishing Kim's thought.

"I'm.. not sure," Thomas says, "The tempus Simia doesn't require a specific location to be used. All one has to do to use it is picture the time and place you wish to be, and the idol will take you there."

"How do you know about the Tempus Simia?" Kim asks

"Let me guess," Shego says, "You were there when it was made as well?"

"Hell no," Thomas says, shuddering, "If I had my way, that thing and I would stay on opposite sides of the globe. But I'd heard of it in my time at Yamanouchi. Supposedly, the thing is ancient. Older than mankind."

"Then who made it?' Ron asks

"The gods, for whatever purpose" Thomas says.

"But, what does John want it in Ireland for?" Shego asks.

"I don't know," Thomas says, "Although I do have an idea. But I need to check my home computer. The information isn't on my laptop."

* * *

AN: figured that was a good place to break. The story is coming to a close. One or two more chapters, plus the epilogue is all that remains.


	23. Chapter 22

I no own, so please, Disney no sue.

Thanks for the kind reviews and your patience. Let's see if I can update more often shall we?

Oh and in the last chapter, I gave a set of coordinates. They were the wrong coordinates. So I fixed it.

This would have been up yesterday but the Document Manager was down all day.

* * *

"So what is on this computer that isn't on your laptop?" Kim asks, looking at a 56 inch computer monitor surrounded by 6 20 inch monitors, each showing different things from stock quotes, news tickers, sports scores, footage from numerous security cameras from numerous locales based on the different scenery, a game of mahjong, a search engine, with the center screen showing a screen saver.

Thomas sits down before the computer, Elizabeth kneeling next to him on his right, Shego standing on his left. Kim takes the space behind Thomas while Ron moves to a corner of the room, away from everyone, his expression haunted and thoughtful. Kim looks over at him, a sorrowful expression in her gaze.

She's about to move to him when she's stopped by Thomas, who says, "Got it. And it looks like I was right."

Turning to look at what he's talking about, she sees a 3D spinning glove of the Earth, blue lines crosscrossing the globe and each other, intersections marked by blue dots, the more lines that cross, the bigger the dot.

"What is it?" Shego asks, leaning closer to look at the globe. Kim moves closer as well, sparing a long sympathetic look at her boyfriend before leaning towards the monitor as well.

"Ley lines," Thomas says as he enters in the coordinates given on the paper left behind by Monkey Fist when he fled the Smithsonian. The globe shifts, growing on the screen and rotating until a small island off the coast of Ireland is shown, the entire island within a large blue dot. "Just as I thought," he muses to himself, "Avalon."

"Avalon?" Shego asks, brow furrowed in confusion, "Thought Avalon was a myth?"

"And off the coast of Great Britain," Elizabeth says before looking at Kim, who keeps looking back at Ron, who doesn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation, instead looking at the floor in deep thought.

"Avalon is real," Thomas says, "Never been there, but I knew Arthur. Myth and legends have distorted his real story, but he existed."

"Wait," Kim says, looking back at Thomas, "You knew King Arthur and Merlin?"

"Well," Thomas says sheepishly, "I didn't know him personally. But I did serve in Arthur's army. Merlin, on the other hand, never existed. There was a Myrddin, but he wasn't connected to Arthur. As for off the coast of Great Britain?" He shrugs, "No legend ever says where Avalon lay."

"So Avalon is real?" Elizabeth asks, looking down at her papa.

"Yes and no," Thomas says, "The island is smack dab in the middle of the largest confluence of ley lines. Nothing is as it seems. At times, it acts as a confluence of realities. And if Walker takes the amulet of Alulus and the Tempus Simia there, reality itself may be at risk."

"Why?" Ron finally asks, "What will happen?"

Looking at Ron, Thomas sighs and says, "The Amulet of Alulus allows a person with no mystical ability to use mystical and arcane energies. It's use is rather limited. It draws in energy, and it expels energy. That's it. The Tempus Simia on the other hand, is the most powerful object in the world. It not only allows the user to travel through space and time, but through it's ability to altar time, it also allows the creation and destruction of realities. And with the largest pool of mystical energy to draw upon, there's no limit to the destructive power..."

Thomas gets a thoughtful expression and after calling up several pages of documents, he scans over them quickly before continuing, "The Amulet of Alulus can absorb energy, but the energy needs to be directed at it. Just bringing it into the ley pool wouldn't do a thing. The Tempus Simia however, absorbs ambient energy as a power source."

"Like you papa?" Elizabeth asks, leaning closer to the monitor to read it.

"Yes," Thomas says, then leans back, "But that doesn't explain how he intends to use it...unless....." He calls up even more files, documents written in runes. Scanning the runes, he murmurs, "That just might work."

"What might work?" Shego asks, frowning as she looks at the runes.

"The Tempus Simia works by will. The User focuses on the time and location of when and where they want to go, and the Tempus Simia takes them there by releasing a ring of energy that opens a portal," Thomas says, reading rapidly.

"Yeah so?" Shego asks, earning a smirk from Thomas

"So what would happen if a person focuses on their present moment and location?" Thomas asks.

"Absolutely nothing?" Ron asks, Kim smiling at the small sign of the old Ron.

"I wish," Thomas says, "And oddly, completely logical coming from you."

"Hey!" Ron says, indignant.

Thomas chuckles and murmurs under his breath, "I knew you were there." Shrugging, he says, "As I said, it seems logical. However, these runes suggest otherwise. if I'm reading the runes right, focusing on the present time and location with release a focused beam of energy." Sitting back again, he says, "But what is he planning?"

Standing up, he paces back and forth in front of the computer as he thinks things over, "It doesn't make sense. If he wanted the energy for destruction, he would have kept Ron. Using a living source of mystical energy would be better for that than natural pools of energy. Plus that much energy released would shatter the planet."

"Maybe that's what he wants," Shego says, "He is insane after all."

"Insane, but not suicidal," Thomas says, "I never got the sense he was suicidal. He enjoys life too much."

"So what is he trying?" Kim asks, as confused as the others are.

"I just don't know," Thomas mutters, staring at the monitor showing the island.

Elizabeth puts her hand on his arm as she says, "Perhaps we should take a break? We all need rest. We have a week before the date on the paper, so why don't we all take a break? Get some rest and gather our thoughts."

Thomas sighs and nods, "Yeah. I suppose you're right." Looking at Kim and Ron, he says, "Why don't you two head back to your apartment? We'll meet back here tomorrow afternoon."

Kim nods as she heads over to Ron. Kissing his cheek, she pretends to not notice her boyfriend's flinch as she says, "Ok Thomas. Come on Ron." She murmurs, leading him from the room.

"Will they be ok?" Elizabeth asks her papa, her eyes showing great sadness and sympathy.

"I hope so," Thomas murmurs, turning towards the door the two lovers had left by, "I truly do. Love like theirs should be treasured..."

* * *

AN: so what ya think? Worth a 6 month hiatus? read and review please. Next chapter will be about Ron and Kim.


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